Top-20 European players to watch out for in 2012: Part-2
After joining the European Tour, Donald landed the Omega European Masters and Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg in 2004. Regardless of his early success, Donald was in for the greatest season of his golfing career, starting 2011.
Winning the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, a format where he has earned spectacular success in his amateur career, Donald moved on to win the BMW PGA Championship in May.
The event was touted as the fifth major in the sport, where Donald defeated the then world number one, Lee Westwood, dismantling him from the top and rising to the top of the world for the first time in his career.
Both Donald and Westwood were tied for 278 after the final 18-hole stretch and match was extended to the Playoffs.
While Westwood’s approach spun out of control to land in the water hazard, Donald pitched clean for a birdie, thus becoming only the 15th man in the history of the sport to rise to the top of the OWGR.
By this time, Donald has emerged as the money leader on both tours. While his lead on the European Tour was invincible, he was threatened on the FedExCup rankings when Webb Simpson toppled him from the top of the money list to surge to the top.
Donald was off the course due to his father’s sudden death and also due to the birth of his second daughter, Sophia.
He then flew to his favourite hunting ground, the PGA Tour, where he landed the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, thus reclaiming his throne of the money list.
Donald closed the year not only on top of the OWGR but also on top of the Race to Dubai Money List as well as the FedExCup points table, becoming the first man in the history of the sport to achieve the milestone.
Donald ended the season with a long list of accolades, including the European Tour Golfer of the Year, PGA Tour Player of the Year, PGA Player of the Year, PGA Tour leading money winner, European Tour Race to Dubai winner, Byron Nelson Award, Vardon Trophy, and the 2011 Golf Writers Trophy.
“To have the accolade of European Tour Golfer of the Year means an awful lot to me and I will certainly look back on this year with a lot of fond memories,” said Donald.
“It is always nice to be appreciated, especially from the people in the sport who know the game inside out. They have recognised what I have done this year and it is very gratifying to have that validation”.
Despite of his staggering success on both tours this year, Donald has not won a single major title in his career, a fact which is often brought up to taint his high profile career.
Tags: