Luke Donald awarded Lifetime Membership of the European Tour ahead of BMW PGA Championship
He might have slipped to the world number two spot for the moment, battering trailblazing golf by the young Rory McIlroy, but Luke Donald’s exceptional performance last season has now won him yet another accolade-a Lifetime Membership of the European Tour.
The Englishman, who soared to the top of the world for the first time at the BMW PGA Championship, is now returning to defend his title against a blistering field set for the European Tour Flagship event today, May 23.
Donald landed the coveted title last year when he thrashed the then world number one Lee Westwood on the second Playoff hole at Wentworth and surged to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) for the first time in his career.
George O’Grady presented the distinguished Englishman with the trophy and lauded his massive contribution to the sport in recent years.
He said, “Luke’s achievements in 2011 were quite extraordinary. To reach the Number One position in the world last May in such dramatic circumstances at Wentworth was one thing, but to follow that up with another superb victory in the Scottish Open on his
way to winning The Race to Dubai and the US PGA Tour Money List was deeply impressive”.
The sturdy Englishman not only landed the title at Wentworth last year, he went over to capitalise on his gains for the rest of the year and successfully defended his world number one spot on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) from rampaging Lee Westwood
and McIlroy.
Donald also praised the phenomenal success of the European Tour in the last four decades and appreciated his Lifetime membership for the tour.
He said, “As I said at the Players' Awards dinner last night, it is very inspiring what The European Tour has done in the last few years. This means a lot, and I really thank you for it”.
Playing on both sides of the Atlantic, Donald stayed on top of the money lists on both tours, a feat which was unprecedented in the history of the sport.
He will be facing stiff opponents at Wentworth this week and hasn’t won a title so far in the current season.
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