Luke Donald did not win а major in 2011 — does it really matter?
Luke Donald had no doubt one of the best seasons ever in the history of golf in 2011. He completely dominated the 2011 PGA Tour, just like Tiger Woods did in his days of glory.
In 2011, Donald recorded two wins, finished twice as а runner-up and twice at the third position. He had а total of 14 top-10 finishes in the 19 starts that he made on the PGA Tour.
This was not the only factor that highlights his excellent performance in the 2011 season. He also played the European Tour and won two events there as well, with 10 top-10 finishes in the 13 European Tour starts.
Overall, 2011 was a phenomenal year for Donald as he added over $14 million to his pocket.
Donald exhibited a remarkable performance, yet again, winning the 64-man field of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in February 2011. The tournament featured some of the best players of the world but he outclassed all of them.
In another elite field, the WGC-Bridgestone, he managed а runner-up’s position.
He tied for the fourth position in the Masters and the Players Championships. Both of these tournaments feature some of the most strenuous golf courses around the world, especially the Players Tournament is the toughest of all.
His second PGA Tour win came in the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals tournament in October. Initially, he was not scheduled to play the event.
However, when he saw that Webb Simpson was most likely going to topple him from the top of the PGA Tour money list, he added himself to the tournament at the last minute.
With a win at Disney, he also secured the PGA Tour Player of the Year honour.
Donald returned home in November and saw his father’s death a few days before the birth of his second child. Consequently, he remained out of the field for a few more weeks.
In the meantime, Rory McIlroy astonished the fields with а T4 in the WGC-HSBC Champions and а victory in the Hong Kong Open to challenge Donald for the Race to Dubai award.
McIlroy needed only а win in the Dubai World Championship, which could have taken him to the top of the European Tour money list that Donald already led throughout the year.
However, McIlroy faltered in the end and finished 11th on the leaderboard. At the same time, Donald was back on the course, securing the third position in the Dubai World Championship.
His position officially made him the first person in the history of golf to win money titles both on the PGA Tour and the European Tour in the same year.
Therefore, it does not make a big difference even if Donald did not win a major event.
In order to win a major, а player has to be phenomenal throughout the year. Donald was the best throughout the year, starting from February to December.
His unmatched performance is evident from the fact that he is currently the number one on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.
It is clear that one should consider consistency when assessing the quality of а player.
Luke Donald was аt his best to record one of the most consistent years in the history of golf. Now, every eye is set on him to see whether he continues with his form аnd records another fabulous year or not.
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