Golf news: Luke Donald back with a bang at Quail Hollow - Five times the former world number one shone on the big stage
After a great opening round of golf in the PGA Championships, Luke Donald will be hoping to reignite a fire seen from the Englishman in the past.
The former world number one will be looking to find his form once more in the hunt for a victory in the major this weekend at the Hollow.
Sports News Blitz writer Matt Mckenry looks at five magic moments in Donald’s career that will be long remembered into the future.
The Miracle of Medinah
The 39th Ryder Cup is largely considered to be the greatest Ryder Cup in history.
Held at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, the European team came into the contest as the previous victors and if they wished to retain their crown.
On the final day, they had to overcome a 10-6 deficit meaning four and a half points were needed on the day to swing it Europe's way.
Having struggled alongside Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood in the Friday and Saturday’s early foursomes, in the Sunday singles Donald managed to prevail over Bubba Watson with 2 & 1.
The points earned by team Europe and Donald were just enough to tip the results in their favour causing one of the biggest upsets in golf history.
European Media coverage on the event named the event the ‘Miracle at Medinah’, regarding it as one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever and in Ryder Cup History.
44th Ryder Cup, European captain
Donald stepped into the Captain’s role for the trip to Marco Simone following Henrik Stenson’s departure after his move to join LIV Golf.
His team consisted of big-name players like Rory Mcilroy, Jon Rahm and Robert Macintyre whilst he picked experienced talent like Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry to bolster his roster.
Marco Simone showed the quality of European golfers to the world. On the first day, a clean sweep for team Europe ensued as after the first session they held a 4-0 lead.
The opening round of four-ball matches followed in which team Europe managed to keep the pressure on the US early with three of the four matches being halved and the final going to team Europe.
The first day ended without Team USA winning a single match, a first in Ryder Cup history.
Saturday saw USA find some ground picking up one victory in the foursomes with Homa and Harman besting Lowry and Straka.
A key game on the day was Aberg and Hovland's victory over Scheffler and Koepka, winning at a score of 9 & 7, the biggest victory in an 18-hole game in the competition's history.
Europe ended day two with a five-point lead going into the Sunday singles leaving Team USA with an impossible task to overcome, a deficit in which no side has come back from in the Cup’s 96-year history.
Team USA managed to salvage six points on Sunday’s singles action however it was too little too late as Donald’s team finished with 16.5 points compared to 11.5.
Donald’s team had truly outplayed the USA and his choices of personnel and matchups were key in delivering a convincing victory, one which will be remembered for a long time.
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40 consecutive weeks at the top
2011 was truly the year in which Donald stood out as the best in the world. This season saw him become the first player to win both the DP World Tour Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour Money List in the same season.
He rose to number one in the official World Golf Ranking in May of that year from which he stayed at the top for 40 consecutive weeks.
It was an astounding feat of consistency as during this time he managed to achieve five PGA Tour wins and seven DP World Tour wins through his precise nature reflected in his brilliant short-hand skills.
WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship victory
His biggest win in his career, Donald defeated Martin Kaymer 3 & 2 to secure victory. The single elimination match play event consisted of the top 64 players available making it a very competitive and challenging tournament.
Four previous winners had lost in the first round of the tournament including the defending champion Ian Poulter and a three-time winner in Tiger Woods.
The victory picked up by Donald was his first in five years on American soil lifting his world ranking at the time from ninth to third.
It was a significant moment, as it had been the first time since 1992 that the top four ranked players in the world were all European.
For Donald, a $1,350,000 prize awaited him for his performance and it reflected how much further he would go in his chase and eventual claiming of the world number one spot.
Return to form
Donald’s opening round at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quails Hollow is among his best - finishing at -4, it's his strongest start to a Major in 21 years.
The European Ryder Cup Captain will be looking to continue his fantastic start into the weekend to potentially challenge and pick up his first-ever Major victory.
The ability to pull out an impressive opening round as he did, reflects his experience and ability on the course.
All the while many top names in the game had dismal performances, Mcllroy finishing his first round at +3.
A course as tough as Quail’s Hollow is, it is a great surprise to see Donald playing so well and it will be interesting to see how far he can carry the momentum he has built for himself.
Three shots off the leader, Jhonattan Vegas, it will be imperative that he makes inroads into that lead putting the pressure on the challengers using the vast experience he has accumulated over an illustrious career.
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