Donald fires on all cylinders

Neil White, The Sunday Times, 10 October 2004

Carding a four-under-par 68 has pushed the Ryder Cup player two strokes clear of his teammates at the Dunhill Links championship.

Three English members of Europe’s Ryder Cup side will start today’s final round of the Dunhill Links championship, in St Andrews at the top of the leaderboard. Luke Donald, David Howell and Ian Poulter enjoyed something of a graduation in Michigan last month and suddenly seem an entirely credible triumvirate to front the illustrious pack that will line up behind them at the Old Course. Donald heads the field on 17 under after a four-under-par 68. Poulter recovered from a bogey at the first to card a 65 that leaves him two behind, level with Howell, who had a 71 at Carnoustie yesterday.

The big draws stayed together in the “A” tour of this peculiar competition, that sees a pro-am field of 336 scattered over three courses for its first three days. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who shot a course record 62 at St Andrews on Thursday, was at Kingsbarns yesterday and, away from the crowds and the competition, he joined Howell and Poulter on 15 under after a 67. At St Andrews, Stephen Gallacher shot a 66. He will remain at the Old Course for today’s finale, which he will begin three shots off the lead.

Back at Carnoustie, it was not all sweetness and light for the Ryder Cup winners. Darren Clarke went round in 66 to move to nine under, but that was after a two-shot penalty for playing the wrong ball on the 12th hole.

His Ryder Cup teammates followed each other round as the benign conditions of the opening two days turned raw and gusty. Donald and Poulter, in particular, championed the elements with the simplest of strategies: stay out of trouble.

With a 65 and a 66 already in the bag, Donald hit fairway after fairway and putted conservatively, taking his chances at holes one, four, 10, 12 and 14, dropping one at nine. He required persuasion from Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer to leave the US Tour and return to Europe to complete the 11 events that qualified him for the German’s team, but that decision has coincided with the best form of his career. Should he close out this event today, it will be his third win in seven tournaments either side of Europe’s triumph in the States. He won the Scandinavian Masters in August and the European Masters, in Switzerland, last month.

“The Ryder Cup really was a boost in terms of confidence,” said Donald after his round yesterday. “I was already having a good year in America but coming back over here has really opened things up for me. When I had to come back to Europe I though it might be a blessing in disguise and it has turned out that way.”

Howell added: “It’s good to see three young Englishmen at the top. Maybe it is something to do with the Ryder Cup or maybe we are just good players.”

Poulter, meanwhile, all but banished talk of Detroit. “That was four weeks ago,” he said. “I don’t want to sit back and think, ‘Oh, I had a good Ryder Cup’ for the rest of the season. There are tournaments to play that move you up the world rankings and that’s more important now. I want to win tournaments.”

For hungry young players like Poulter, Donald and Howell, this event counts, all the way to £800,000 for first place. For Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, nine and 12 shots below par respectively, there is the race to end the season as world No 1.

Only Els has a realistic shot at adding to a vintage year. “I’ll need my first putt to drop and then, who knows?” said the South African. “I suppose I have an outside chance but I might need to shoot nine under or something.”

Singh, the world No 1, looked far more comfortable at Kingsbarns and St Andrews than he did plodding around Carnoustie as the temperatures dropped during a fourball that stretched well beyond five hours in duration.

“It is a long day and when it is this cold it gets even harder,” said the Fijian. “I am surprised that the scoring was so low, actually. These guys must be used to the weather.” The scoring was low and Europe’s brightest young things will carry the fight at the start of the final round today.

Yet in other ways, the Dunhill Links doesn’t quite ring true. Its impact is diluted by the format. Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and the Old Course at St Andrews accommodate the expansion of the field to 336, half of them amateurs whose degree of celebrity and ability varies dramatically.

The decision to load up one-third of the draw with the top-ranking professionals and the biggest celebrity draws has reduced the other two groups, which included Gallacher and McDowell, to supporting roles.

For three days, they were playing a marquee event, but must have felt they were on the wrong side of the tent.

Those who have engineered themselves into a challenging position today have ignored the trimmings and done their job. And that hasn’t always been easy. At no other tournament will this elite group of players be so close to so many bad golf shots.

At no other event will the spectators tread quite so warily.

The cries of ‘Fore!’ ricocheted around the course like wayward drives bouncing between the trees that line this course at its outermost periphery. It wasn’t just the forestry; balls were striking portable buildings, vehicles and hotels this week. And it wasn’t just the celebrities; Colin Montgomerie, who starts today nine under after dodging the occasional stray one from his partner, the model Jodie Kidd, winged a spectator with a hooked drive at the 15th.

Retief Goosen, the normally unflappable South African, has had to endure three days of trying to work with his dad watching over his every move. His challenge never recovered after he found the burn at the Old Course’s opening hole. His father, Theo, 71, managed to lay up just short of the water.

“That’s how you do it, son.”

“Stop it dad, you’re embarrassing me.”