Dolch: Donald getting closer but remains 'a work in progress'
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Luke Donald didn't have to look far Sunday to see the player he could be.
All he had to do was watch one of his playing partners, Steve Stricker.
Stricker wasn't hard to miss -- he was the one at the top of the leaderboard of the Northern Trust Open, starting with a six-shot lead entering the final round and finishing two strokes ahead of Donald.
The two play a precision game based on angles, course management, wedges and putting. That puts them very much in the minority in this era of bomb and gouge.
But while Stricker was notching his fourth victory in his last 15 starts, Donald hasn't lifted a trophy in his last 68 events on the PGA TOUR. The last of his two TOUR wins came in 2006 at The Honda Classic. His first title came when the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic was cut to 54 holes due to bad weather.
Certainly, Donald's progression as a player was hurt by a left wrist injury that limited the Englishman to 11 starts in 2008 and still bothered him last season. A year ago, he had to quit his third-round match against Ernie Els at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship on the final tee after he tweaked his wrist.
Even so, for many, it's a mystery how Donald hasn't blossomed into one of the sport's stars. Why hasn't he become the "next (Nick) Faldo," as many British writers dubbed him?
After all, Donald, just 32, finished tied for third in his first start at the Masters, in 2005; has made two Ryder Cup teams for Europe (it would have been three if not for the wrist injury); won the 1999 NCAA Tournament title and the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation's top collegian; and was the lone college graduate to make it through all three stages of q-school to earn his card in 2001.
Donald had the audacity to wear a red shirt when he knew he was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round of the 2006 PGA Championship, where he settled for another T3 finish in a major. Donald also had the savvy to put clubs with the newly approved grooves in his bag last year to ease the transition.
Moreover, Donald is about as consistent as a nun: He has finished in the top 25 in nearly half (86) of his 176 career TOUR starts as a pro while earning more than $15 million. So how come he's had only one opportunity to walk up the fairway on the 72nd hole as a winner in the U.S.?
Because winning a golf tournament is the most difficult thing to do in sports, especially when you're usually facing a guy wearing a red shirt on Sunday. So Donald wasn't complaining Sunday after his eighth runner-up finish on TOUR.
"It's still a work in progress, especially the golf swing, but it feels like it's coming along," Donald said after closing with rounds of 66-66, tying Jason Bohn for the best weekend total at Riviera. "Hopefully, it will be a good year for me."
Donald knows the biggest weakness in his game is his lack of strength. His highest ranking in driving distance on the PGA TOUR is 145th, which explains why only once has he ranked in the top 100 in birdie conversions on par-5s.
That's giving up about 1.5 shots a round -- or six shots for the week.
Or a chance to win.
So Donald is doing more than trying to strengthen his left wrist -- he said he added 12 pounds (from 160) to his 5-foot-9 frame during the offseason.
"As long as some of the guys are getting here, I don't want to be left totally behind," Donald said. "I know I don't hit it very far and I know I don't overpower golf courses, but I can certainly work on hitting it a little bit further, creating a bit more speed. To do those speed exercises, you need a base of strength, and that was why I did it."
Whether that bulk adds to the size of Donald's trophy case remains to be seen (he has four non-PGA TOUR victories, as well). Donald has made it clear he will continue to concentrate on the PGA TOUR even in this Ryder Cup year.
"This is where I've made my home," said Donald, who splits his time in the U.S. between Chicago and Palm Beach Gardens. "It's where I feel comfortable playing."
But Donald won't truly be comfortable until he starts notching some more victories. Until he does, he'll continue to be viewed by some by what he may accomplish instead of what he has accomplished.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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