Starting in the wee small hours of tomorrow morning the culmination of a sensational year will begin on the Earth course in Dubai, and amongst the many story lines, we will see if Luke Donald can make history and become the first man to win the money titles on both the PGA and European tours, something he says will be "my greatest achievement"
In the 5 weeks he has been away from the game, Donald has lost and buried his dearly beloved father Colin, unexpectedly, and with his wife Diane welcomed a new daughter, Sophie Ann to their family, events which make winning or losing a game of golf insignificant.
However, the game must be played as life marches on, and Luke leads Rory by just over 1m euros in the Race to Dubai when play begins.
When you consider the amount of travel playing both tours, time changes and standard of golf he has endured and displayed this year, it will only be fitting if he pulls it off.
Rory and Martin and Lee and GMac and the top 60 golfers on the Euro tour are about to do their best to make him earn it.
Here is a report from Dubai, where Luke says he thinks Rory has more talent than Tiger.
TONY JIMENEZ, Reuters
Published on Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011 11:22AM EST
DUBAI - Rory McIlroy is a more talented golfer than 14-times major winner Tiger Woods, said world number one Luke Donald on the eve of his Dubai World Championship showdown with the young Northern Irishman.
“Tiger’s work ethic has always been tremendous, and his mindset as well,” Donald told reporters on Wednesday. “But I think Rory has more pure talent.I have always said that, of the guys I’ve played with, Rory has the most talent. I see him winning lots of tournaments and lots of majors.”
Donald, bidding to become the first player to win the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic, leads second-placed McIlroy by more than $1 million going into the final European Tour event of the season in Dubai. The Englishman needs to finish in the top eight this week to guarantee ending the campaign as European number one for the first time in his career but he seemed almost as keen to laud McIlroy’s skills as he was to celebrate his own achievements.
“Rory showed the world how great he can be when he won the U.S. Open,” said Donald, who clinched the U.S. PGA Tour’s money-list crown in October. That was an unbelievable way to play in a major event and finish it off like he did,” he added, referring to the 22-year-old Northern Irishman’s runaway eight-shot victory in Maryland in June. “He’s young and has a great future ahead of him.”
As he makes a run at history this weekend, Donald believes his late father will be looking down upon him. “I lost a good friend in my dad and someone that introduced me to the game," he said of his father, who died last month days before the birth of Donald's second daughter, Sophia Ann. "Losing him was very sad and something you can’t ever prepare for.” When someone leaves you, you are always reminded of them in certain ways,” he added. “I'm sure he'll be there with me. I'm not sure if I'll specifically try to think about my father, but, yeah, it would be nice to win one for him.”
Donald returned to the tour only last week from a five-week break, during which he buried his father. He said the time “was tough, very tough” but his daughter's arrival “spread a little grace on the situation” and allowed him to “concentrate my efforts on a new life.”
Reflecting on his father, Donald admitted Colin was more concerned about “bringing him up as a decent person” than passing on golf tips. But Donald still said he remembers many times walking the course with his father when he was a youngster.
“We didn't play a lot but he would take me out sometimes, even mornings before school and we would go and play a quick nine holes,” he added. “I have fond memories of that.”
Donald has won three other titles this season, including Disney's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic where he snatched the U.S. money title from Webb Simpson. That put him on course for unprecedented success on both money lists.
“As time went on and I played and won the right tournaments, then certainly it became a goal,” he said. “You know, it's something I've heard other players talk about in the past few years. I remember Ernie (Els) talking about it once and how hard it would be to do but how satisfying it would be to be able to do that.”
For Donald, winning both titles would be a chance “to make history.”
“No one's officially done it before. I think that's pretty amazing,” he said. “It's not easy to travel as much as you do playing both tours and to be able to adjust to the time changes and all that. ... If it all works out Sunday, that will be my biggest accomplishment.”
Donald comes in as the favourite to win the European money title and even McIlroy said he thought his chance of winning was slim because he was up against one of the tour's most consistent golfers. Donald has finished outside the top 10 only three times this year on the European Tour.
“He's won four times in a year and all big events — the World Match Play, Wentworth, Scottish Open and obviously Disney when he needed to,” McIlroy said. “And he's hardly finished outside the top 10. He's deservedly the No. 1 player at the moment.”
But Robert Karlsson, who won the tournament last year, said McIlroy will have an edge because the Greg Norman-designed Earth course is playing longer than it has in the past. He said at least three of the par 5s will favour the big-hitting McIlroy over Donald.
“Luke has another weapon that has taken him to the top of the world and that is his short game,” Karlsson said. “But Rory has a huge advantage getting up to the greens. That is just the way it is.”
If Donald does take the European money title, it is unlikely to silence the detractors who have questioned whether he deserves to be No. 1 because he hasn't won a major. He tied for fourth at this year's Masters, eighth at the U.S. PGA Championship and 45th at the U.S. Open. He missed the cut at the British Open.
The composed and low-key Donald said he wasn't concerned about his critics, insisting that earning the No. 1 spot without winning a major in some ways was more impressive.
“The critics will always be there and they make me stronger to be honest,” Donald said. “Every time someone says I can't do anything, it just makes me work harder. So you know, fine. I don't really mind that there's critics out there. I've had a tremendous year and I'm excited about next year. I think I'm a different player this year because of all the victories. I feel more confident. Hopefully, I can bring the game to the majors.”
Bryan Angus also on twitter@mummmbles
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