Luke Donald has brief break from pressures of No. 1 ranking

When he found out Rory McIlroy had overtaken him in March as the No. 1 player in the world, Luke Donald was with his daughters at the playground.

Losing the top spot has its pros and cons, Donald said.

“Certainly there’s going to be a lot more focus on Rory now, less focus on me and I can maybe just go about my business a little more with less distractions and a little bit less expectation,” Donald said. “But it’s still nice to be No. 1, don’t get me wrong.”

Donald didn’t have to wait long to regain his No. 1 ranking. Two weeks after McIlroy’s win, Donald won a four-man playoff at the Transi­tions Championship to take back the top spot.

Donald, the first golfer to win the European and PGA Tour money lists in the same year in 2011, is looking to make Augusta National Golf Club his own playground. The 34-year-old Englishman contended for a green jacket last year, chipping in for birdie at No. 18 to grab a share of the clubhouse lead in the final round. He was passed by Adam Scott, Jason Day and then Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.

“It was one of those Mas­ters where the conditions were right for a lot of birdies, a lot of charging on the back nine, and just made for something that was really fun,” Donald said. “It was fun to be a part of. It was nice to be one of those guys to have an opportunity, and you know, what Charl did was pretty amazing.”

In his eighth Masters appearance, Donald is vying to become the first Englishman to win a green jacket in 16 years – Nick Faldo claimed the last of his three Masters titles in 1996. Donald has a track record of success in Augusta with three top-10 showings, including last year’s tie for fourth.

After opening with rounds of 72-68-69, Donald was squarely in the mix Sunday when he pushed his tee shot into Rae’s Creek at the par-3 12th. After the double bogey, Donald rebounded with birdies on three of the next four holes.

After making bogey at No. 17, he hit his closing drive next to the first fairway bunker at No. 18. With an awkward stance and the ball below his feet, he hit a perfect approach – too perfect. His ball bounced once on the front of the green, bounced high off the flagstick and spun back into the fairway. Donald then chipped in, walking off with a share of the
clubhouse lead at 10-under.

“He had hit such a good shot,” playing partner Bo Van Pelt said. “He still had a chance because he didn’t know what Charl was going to do on those last couple of holes. It hit the pin and it came off the green, so he got a really tough break.”

Donald lost the Heritage in a playoff the following week. He rebounded with a pair of wins on the European Tour and also won the PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in October.

On a personal level, 2011 was a mixed bag for Donald. His father died three days before the birth of his second daughter, Sophia Ann, in November.

Donald took seven weeks off from competitive golf after the 2011 season. He got off to a slow start this year before the win.

“I think it’s been an exciting year so far for the golf spectator, for the big names that seem to be coming through. I’m just disappointed that I haven’t been in the mix this year,” Donald said before his triumph in the Transitions. “That’s more motivation for me to start playing better and get my name up on the leaderboard.”