<p> New Delhi: Fans have fretted, felt frustrated and at times even supplicated the golfing gods to show mercy on the graceful Luke Donald - a player who holds a unique distinction in the world of golf. </p><p>The clamour is understandable for, the Englishman is one of the only two golfers in the sport to have attained the world No. 1 ranking without winning a Major. </p>.<p>Fellow countryman Lee Westwood - the only other player with the same distinction - offers the 47-year-old some much-needed company to perhaps dodge or come up with a witty remark every time this question is hurled at them. At the DP World Tour India Championship here at the Delhi Golf Course (DGC), where Donald is one of the many showstoppers, he chose to answer the query with honesty and was reminded of the silver-lining. </p>.<p>“How would I summarise it? Yeah, obviously I worked very hard in my career to try and win Majors,” said the seasoned golfer who topped the world rankings in 2011 and held the position for 56 weeks. </p>.<p>“Again, I came very close quite a few times, many top 10s and had some chances but never got it done. Yeah, certainly disappointing. But I think being World No. 1, it’s a body of work for two or three years of really consistent results. Also to be able to say that I was the best golfer in the world for over a year…Certainly it’s something I’m very proud of.”</p>.<p>Keeping aside the individual brilliance of a long professional career for 24 years now, Donald recently became only the second European captain to win the Ryder Cup both at home and away after Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987. If capturing the trophy at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy in 2023 was pure elation, triumphing in a nail-biter at the Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York, USA two weeks ago was an assertion of their dominance. </p>.<p>“(As a captain) you’re spending five or six weeks just thinking about all kinds of different things - partnerships, pairings, the golf course, the gifting...</p>.<p>“There’s just so much that goes into it that your mind is kind of clogged. </p>.<p>“I’ve had many nights where I’ve woken up with Ryder Cup dreams where I had forgotten my radio one night and there’s still one game out on the course and I was panicking and I was trying to get to the game. So coming here, playing a tournament will actually help get my mind back to playing and on what I need to do this week. It’s a fun problem to have after a win in the Ryder Cup,” explained the PGA Tour and DP World Tour player who has only competed in 11 events this year coming into this week. </p>.<p>And his first impressions of the iconic DGC - one of the oldest golf courses in India - aren’t much different from most golfers. Donald said the course known for being compact makes it interesting and quipped: “A very unique sort of challenge this week, which again, I think for someone my age and how far I hit it, maybe is a good thing.”</p>
<p> New Delhi: Fans have fretted, felt frustrated and at times even supplicated the golfing gods to show mercy on the graceful Luke Donald - a player who holds a unique distinction in the world of golf. </p><p>The clamour is understandable for, the Englishman is one of the only two golfers in the sport to have attained the world No. 1 ranking without winning a Major. </p>.<p>Fellow countryman Lee Westwood - the only other player with the same distinction - offers the 47-year-old some much-needed company to perhaps dodge or come up with a witty remark every time this question is hurled at them. At the DP World Tour India Championship here at the Delhi Golf Course (DGC), where Donald is one of the many showstoppers, he chose to answer the query with honesty and was reminded of the silver-lining. </p>.<p>“How would I summarise it? Yeah, obviously I worked very hard in my career to try and win Majors,” said the seasoned golfer who topped the world rankings in 2011 and held the position for 56 weeks. </p>.<p>“Again, I came very close quite a few times, many top 10s and had some chances but never got it done. Yeah, certainly disappointing. But I think being World No. 1, it’s a body of work for two or three years of really consistent results. Also to be able to say that I was the best golfer in the world for over a year…Certainly it’s something I’m very proud of.”</p>.<p>Keeping aside the individual brilliance of a long professional career for 24 years now, Donald recently became only the second European captain to win the Ryder Cup both at home and away after Tony Jacklin in 1985 and 1987. If capturing the trophy at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy in 2023 was pure elation, triumphing in a nail-biter at the Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York, USA two weeks ago was an assertion of their dominance. </p>.<p>“(As a captain) you’re spending five or six weeks just thinking about all kinds of different things - partnerships, pairings, the golf course, the gifting...</p>.<p>“There’s just so much that goes into it that your mind is kind of clogged. </p>.<p>“I’ve had many nights where I’ve woken up with Ryder Cup dreams where I had forgotten my radio one night and there’s still one game out on the course and I was panicking and I was trying to get to the game. So coming here, playing a tournament will actually help get my mind back to playing and on what I need to do this week. It’s a fun problem to have after a win in the Ryder Cup,” explained the PGA Tour and DP World Tour player who has only competed in 11 events this year coming into this week. </p>.<p>And his first impressions of the iconic DGC - one of the oldest golf courses in India - aren’t much different from most golfers. Donald said the course known for being compact makes it interesting and quipped: “A very unique sort of challenge this week, which again, I think for someone my age and how far I hit it, maybe is a good thing.”</p>