Luke Donald blitzes European Masters

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2004 Omega European Masters | Wrap | 06 Sep 2004

Just as was the case with Stewart Cink two weeks ago when he won the NEC Championship just a week after being named as a wild card pick for the American Ryder Cup team, Luke Donald has further justified his captain Bernhard Langer’s faith by winning just a week after perhaps the most exciting day in his golfing life.

Donald has now won twice this season in Europe, this win following his victory at the Scandinavian Masters a month ago. His win in Sweden was likely the catalyst for his Ryder Cup selection, although he has shown with another very strong season in the US, that he may well have been in Langer’s thoughts in any case. He has been four times inside the top ten in the US this season including his runner up to John Daly at the Buick Invitational.

His win here by five over Europe’s hottest golfer, Miguel Angel Jimenez, was perhaps even more impressive in that it was his first visit to Crans Sur Sierre to play the event which was first played here as the Swiss Open in 1939. There is quite an adjustment to the incredible distances the ball flies at this altitude, but he very much appears to be a young man with a brilliant golfing brain and very quickly took on board the alteration required to succeed in this environment.

He was quickly out of the blocks today with an eagle at the downhill par five first to catch and pass third round leader, Jimenez, who was looking for his fifth win of the season. Despite being challenged by Garcia through nine holes, when the Spaniard reached seventeen under, Donald appeared to be in the driver’s seat throughout.

Jimenez, who had been brilliant for most of the week just couldn’t get going in round four and although Donald was not all that convincing at times in the middle of the round he drew away with three late birdies to win by five, the same margin he won by in Sweden five weeks earlier. He is clearly not somebody to do things by half.

Jimenez battled on for second, his last round 72 likely feeling like 80 given his recent form. Sharing third, and no doubt further pleasing Bernhard Langer, was Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard had moved into contention through nine holes when he took a share of the lead as he made the turn but then surprisingly fell away over with a back nine of 39 to allow Donald to cruise to victory.

Eduardo Romero, who would no doubt like to take this golf course with him every where he plays was third. Romero twice eagled the 331 yard par four seventh during the course of the week and at the age of fifty will surely look to gain a regular place on the US Champions Tour in 2005. Romero won here in 2000, was 10th in 2001, was third in 2003, and now this third placing again.

Englishman Robert Coles’ final round of 64 will see him retain his playing privileges for 2005. This was the first top ten on the European Tour for the 32-year-old since the 2001 Madrid Open so it was a big week. He has won on the Challenge Tour in that time but as somewhat of a battler, it is a huge result. His 64 was the best round of the week.

Defending champion Ernie Els was 7th, a double bogey at the last costing him a share of third.

Of the Australasians Peter O’Malley and Stephen Scahill were best in 10th place. For O’Malley he moves to 26th place on the Volvo Order or Merit while Scahill, who aced the 8th during the last round, has moved to 88th on the money list and has now put paid to any concerns, if indeed there were any, regarding his status for 2005.

Craig Spence, despite a disappointing last round of 75, picked up only his third cheque in sixteen starts on the European Tour this season when he finished 13th. He will need something miraculous over the next few weeks to avoid Tour School once again, but he is at last heading in the right direction. A triple bogey early in today’s round unsettled him.

Peter Fowler was 16th after a good start to the week, Wade Ormsby moved inside the all important top 115 on the Order of Merit with his 24th place, Brett Rumford was 56th and Daniel Gaunt 78th.

The European Tour now heads back to Germany, from whence it came last week, for the Linde German Masters in Cologne before the focus on European golf turns to Michigan for next week’s Ryder Cup.