Donald's game ages as well as his hobby
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If a nonsports hobby can prepare a golfer for winning a major championship, Luke Donald has picked the right pursuit.
Wine-making seems to suit the 29-year-old Englishman.
From selecting the right grapes to carefully choosing the proper blend to refining the finished product, Donald is personally involved in creating a wine that will bear his name and artwork on the label. It's called a Claret Red.
"Slight pun intended," Donald said of the name reminiscent of the claret jug given to British Open winners.
Once it properly ferments, Donald expects a finished product he'll be proud of.
"I'll be a part of the process and not just putting my name to it," Donald said. "Actually have a vested interest in producing a wine that I will like. I always like to surround myself with premier brands, so it wasn't about putting together some cheap varietal."
Donald's golf game has seasoned on much the same lines. He's blended his European roots with his American education to produce a game capable of standing beside the best in the world.
Now that he's fermented into a top 15 player on the world stage, Donald is ready to decant a major title.
"I guess I expect more out of myself," Donald said. "Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that's a bad thing. You don't want to elevate your goals so high that if you're not quite on one day you get down on yourself. It's good to keep a level head and keep playing golf I know how to play, and feeling that that's going to be good enough."
Donald has steadily moved himself into the big picture. He turned a terrific amateur career into an immediate PGA Tour card in 2001 via the hard route of qualifying school.
By the next year Donald was a tour winner in a rain-shortened event. In 2004 he won twice in Europe and qualified for the Ryder Cup team. In 2005 he finished tied for third in his Masters Tournament debut and got his first taste of major championship electricity playing with Jack Nicklaus in his final British Open at St. Andrews.
Then came an even larger leap in 2006, with his first victory on the PGA Tour at the Honda Classic and his first appearance alongside Tiger Woods in the final group of a major at the PGA Championship at Medinah.
Like everyone else who has been in that situation, Donald didn't win. But that didn't diminish the experience.
"That was a great step for me," he said. "I learned a lot and kind of made me realize that I am good enough to be in that situation. My score didn't really reflect the way I played, and I still have a lot to learn. But it was a great step towards being in those situations more and more and being able to handle the pressure a bit."
Woods and Donald shared the 54-hole lead at Medinah. But an opening birdie on Sunday sprung Woods to his 12th major title. Donald measured up well with Woods but couldn't convert the putts. He shot 74 to tie for third.
"If I got a few more putts in I could have got him worried a little bit," Donald said. "I gave it my best shot, and I'm proud of the way I played. I took a lot of positives out of that."
Despite not possessing the power game preferred at Augusta National, Donald has made the cut in both of his Masters appearances. He believes he has the game to handle all of the changes made to the course.
"I'm known for good iron play and don't feel like I'm a short hitter by any means," he said. "I'm long enough. When it comes to hitting good shots with long irons, I think I'm just as capable as anybody. In certain ways it's made it harder, but it's going to separate the field a little bit, and you're going to have to be a great iron player and putt well. It helps if from 200 yards in you can hit good, quality shots."
So with his game blended with his experiences, might Donald be ready to uncork his Claret Red while wearing a green jacket as host of next year's Champions Dinner?
"My vintage might just be ready by next year," he said. "But it might have to sit in the bottle a few years."
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
