Luke Donald reclaimed golf’s world No.1 ranking from Rory McIlroy by winning the US PGA Transitions Championship on Sunday, but still expects McIlroy and Tiger Woods dominate the Masters spotlight.
Two weeks before players gather at Augusta National for the first major championship of the year, Englishman Donald sank a six-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to win a four-man playoff against Jim Furyk, Robert Garrigus and Bae-Sang-Moon and take back the top ranking spot he surrendered when McIlroy won in Miami two weeks ago.
“Well I enjoyed it while it lasted!” McIlroy said in a Twitter message. “Congrats Luke Donald! Impressive performance!”
Donald, the reigning money list champion of both the US and European PGA tours, has never won a major title and he hopes his lofty status does not mean he draws attention away from young superstar McIlroy or 14-time major winner Woods.
“There might be a little bit more hype around me now,” Donald said. “I’ll probably be able to go about my business with a bit more attention, but I’ve been through that.
“I still think Rory and obviously Tiger will be getting a lot of the attention. I can kind of go about my business and not have to deal with as much as those two are dealing with.”
Neither Donald nor McIlroy plans to play again before the Masters, while Woods – coming off a strained Achilles tendon – plans to play the Tavistock Cup 36-hole exhibition and the PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational in the coming week.
Donald plans some practice sessions with McIlroy this week and next in Florida and the top ranking figures to be a topic of conversation.
“I’m sure he got a taste of the view and I’m sure he’ll want more of it,” Donald said.
“I think golf is in a good spot right now. There’s a lot of excitement going on. The good players are playing well and it’s nice to have a little back and forth like that.”
Donald shot a closing five-under-par 66 on Sunday to finish regulation play tied at 13-under 271 with Americans Furyk (69) and Garrigus (64) and South Korea’s Sang-Moon (68) at the Innisbrook resort’s Copperhead course.
On the first playoff hole, he produced a spectacular 159-yard approach from the rough with a 7-iron that barely cleared greenside bunkers to set up his winning birdie putt.
Donald said, “That shot just came out perfectly. You never quite know out of the rough. That one, just when it was in the air, looked good to me.”
Geoff Ogilvy was the top-placed Australian, finishing tied 16th with a final round 66 leaving him five shots outside the play-off.
South African Ernie Els, needing a victory to qualify for the Masters, led by a stroke with two holes to play but missed the playoff by finishing with back-to-back bogeys, the first after finding the rough off the tee.
“Played good golf,” Els said. “I just hit one bad shot. That was on 17. It was a bit of a wait there and lost my rhythm and hit a bad shot there. Then missed a short putt on 18.
“If I take stock, I think I’m playing good golf, and I’ve got to head into the next couple of weeks trying to get a win.”