PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PGA AMERICA 20 WWW. CDGA. ORG Cool Hand Luke PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PGA AMERICA In a breakthrough year highlighted by a strong performance in Europe’s rout of the U.S. during the Ryder Cup matches, Luke Donald—an Englishman who played his collegiate golf at Northwestern and still calls the Chicago area home—has joined the ranks of the game’s world-class players. BY JOEL BOYD TANDING BESIDE THE 18TH June he had failed to qualify for the U.S. like you’re a world-class player, that’s half green at Oakland Hills—his Open, had resigned his European Tour the battle toward playing like one.” hair and clothes soaked with membership and remained outside the His Ryder Cup role has made Donald champagne, his face awash top 50 in the world rankings. more of a household name around the with the joy of victory—Luke Since then, Donald has taken his game world. During the British Open this year, SDonald reflected on a whirlwind summer to another level. He rejoined the he talked about how he is less-known in that culminated in Europe’s record- European Tour and posted a pair of dom- his home country than he is in the setting Ryder Cup rout. inating five-stroke victories. He has risen United States. The truth is, while Donald “This is the pinnacle,” said Donald, to 32nd in the world rankings. And most is the epitome of the proper English who contributed 2-1/2 points to the important, he convinced Bernhard gentleman, he has called the Chicago European cause in his Ryder Cup debut. Langer—a two-time Masters champion area home for the last seven years. He “To play on a winning team is a great whom Donald considers a role model— shares an apartment in Evanston with his feeling. I experienced it in the Walker to use one of his two Ryder Cup captain’s older brother and caddie, Christian Cup, but this is another level. It’s more picks on Donald. (though he has been house-hunting in than what I expected.” “Everything just seemed to click into Florida recently). He has memberships at Just three months earlier, Donald’s place,” Donald said. “You need to get on Conway Farms and North Shore Country participation at Oakland Hills would rolls in this game, and winning does a lot Club, where he practices during weeks have been unexpected. The 26-year-old for you. It makes you feel like you’re off. He met his girlfriend, Diane Englishman has been on a path to golf going to win the next week. Antonopoulos, at Northwestern, and his stardom ever since he burst on the scene “It is a different level, and I’m going to college coach, Pat Goss, remains his as a sophomore at Northwestern, but in expect more out of myself now. If you feel swing coach. He even led the Wrigley (Above, left) Captain’s pick Donald proved his mettle during the 2004 Ryder Cup matches at Oakland Hills Country Club. NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2004 21 COOL HAND LUKE Field crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ball when he makes that step, he goes beyond “We’re trying to get into that ‘zone’ Game” during a 2002 Cubs game. it and sustains it. state on the range,” Fannin says. “A lot of Donald originally hoped to play “We’re seeing the same thing in pro- guys, when they walk to the first tee box, college golf at Stanford, but Cardinal fessional golf. There was no special are trying to feel their way into the coach Wally Goodwin had filled all his moment, no ‘A-ha, I’ve got it.’ He has round. What’s the point of that? We want scholarships and suggested Donald improved every facet of his game, and it to start the round attacking. look at Goodwin’s former school, has taken a lot of work to get to the level “The cap is, now that we’re getting off Northwestern. Goodwin’s loss was Goss’ where he is. The next step will be to do to great starts, we need to close that gain. After an unspectacular freshman sea- that in major-championship golf.” down. When he hits hole 12, he’s a rough son, Donald gave a hint of things to come When the 2004 PGA Tour season customer from that point on.” with three consecutive second-place fin- opened, Donald was coming off his first Donald displayed that finishing kick ishes at the start of his sophomore year. step backward in a long time. After earn- in February at Torrey Pines, where he “Then suddenly I won one, and that ing his Tour card in his first attempt at birdied the 72nd hole to get into a three- was it,” recalled Donald, who won an Qualifying School and winning a rain- way playoff before losing to John Daly. incredible 13 college tournaments, shortened tournament as a rookie in Still, he was unable to crack the top including the 1999 NCAA championship. 2002, he slipped to 90th on the money 50 in the world rankings, which would “Pat always said, once I get that taste of list in 2003. get him into every major. Figuring he winning, I won’t stop.” While he was making plenty of cuts couldn’t fulfill an 11-event minimum For Goss, Donald’s step-by-step with his consistent, patient approach, while also playing a full PGA Tour sched- progression to the highest levels of the Donald knew he needed to make more ule, he resigned his European Tour mem- sport has been no surprise. An birdies to contend for titles. In addition bership, thus forfeiting any chance at accomplished painter who earned a to ramping up his efforts with Goss, he making the Ryder Cup team. degree in art theory and practice at began working with Burr Ridge-based A call from Langer helped persuade Northwestern, Donald always has an mental coach Jim Fannin. They talk Donald to reconsider, as did a loophole outline for success. before and after every round, and one of in the Tour regulations that allowed him “As long as I’ve known him,” Goss the strategies they devised was to break to count U.S. Open sectional qualifying says, “it’s always been about the process. each round into three six-hole segments, as one of his 11 events. Shortly after He has gradually improved, taking small with a particular focus on the opening rejoining the European Tour, Donald steps. He has to fail a little bit first, but and closing stretches. showed signs of a breakout in his “home- “A lot of guys, when they walk to the first tee box, are trying to feel their way into the round. What’s the point of that? We want to start the round attacking.” — JIM FANNIN, DONALD’ S M ENTAL C OACH PHOTO COURTESY WESTERN GOLF ASSOCIATION 22 CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER controls the length of his irons very well. He really doesn’t have a weakness.” Langer showed his confidence in Donald by making him the only one of Europe’s five Ryder Cup rookies to play in the opening four-ball session. Donald repaid that trust with a 2-iron to 12 feet on Oakland Hills’ difficult 18th hole. Though he missed the birdie putt, the par allowed Donald and Paul McGinley to halve the match and keep the U.S. team winless for the morning. Donald went back out in the after- noon for a foursomes match with Garcia and secured a 2-and-1 victory with a 5- iron to the middle of the green at the equally tough 17th hole. He and Garcia won another foursomes match on day two, and though he lost 5-and-3 to Chad Campbell in singles, Donald was the leading point-getter among the European rookies. Combined with a 7-1 record in PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PGA AMERICA leading Great Britain and Ireland to Donald (bottom row, second from left) contributed 2-1/2 points to Europe’s rout. back-to-back Walker Cup victories, Donald is now 9-2-1 in international team competitions. Match play seems to bring out his tenacity. “He’s not scared of the fight; “He makes very few mistakes,” Goss comments. “And the intangible is he’s as strong a competitor mentally as I’ve ever he relishes it. been around. “He’s not scared of the fight; he relish- That attitude sets him apart.” es it. That attitude sets him apart.” Donald’s schedule wasn’t easing up — NORTHWESTERN G OLF C OACH PAT G OSS any after the Ryder Cup. He had three town” event, closing with a 67 to tie for the European Masters. more European tournaments to fulfill his third in the Western Open. A disappoint- Donald received the good news via a requirement and had added a couple of ing missed cut in the British Open fol- text message from his agent, then received PGA Tour events in an effort to qualify lowed—Donald three-putted the 18th high-fives and congratulatory shouts from for the Tour Championship as one of the hole to fall one stroke short—but two Garcia. Feeling relieved after a pressure- top-30 money-winners. As for next year, weeks later in Sweden, he blitzed the packed month, he posted another five-shot Donald’s world ranking should get him field for a five-shot victory in the victory in Switzerland, making 28 birdies in all four majors, including his first trip Scandinavian Masters, prompting another in 72 holes to outlast Ryder Cup team- to the Masters.