It was the culmination of an emotional few days for Luke Donald; just three days previously his father died suddenly on the other side of the Atlantic. This was a timely reminder that amongst all the million-dollar prize funds, world ranking points and continent-hopping involved in the life of a professional golfer, there’s a human at the centre of it all. And that humanity is exactly what the sport needs to restore its reputation.
While it’s been a career year for Donald – ticking off the number one ranking, US money list and probably the European money list next month – it’s been far from an annus mirabilis for golf. Just last week, comments from Tiger Woods’ sex-caddie Steve Williams caused a storm akin to the John Terry race row currently engulfing English football.
On Thursday, a frustrated John Daly walked off the course at the Australian Open for probably the last time in a not dissimilar fashion to the way Carlos Tevez ran away to Argentina this week.
At the start of the year Elliot Saltman was branded a cheat after being found guilty of a ‘serious breach’ of golf’s rules. And parallel to this all are the continuing woes of Woods, golf’s fallen hero.This all seems a far cry from some of the golfing moments the grey-haired, plus-fourred men will tell you about, if you hang around a club bar for too long on seniors’ morning.
They remember fondly the famous 1969 Ryder Cup where Nicklaus conceded Jacklin’s putt on the final hole to tie the match.Or the story of Greg Norman, who took defeat with such grace and composition when he handed the 1996 Masters to Nick Faldo after throwing away a six shot lead.
Some might even spin the old yarn of Jesse Sweetser at the 1926 British Amateur, who refused to accept the title when his opponent in the final was hours late for tee-off and the organisers declared the match would be forfeited. He went on to win anyway.
Golf is at a cross-roads right now. While nobody sees the sport descending into the bickery and individualism of Premiership football, the danger to its reputation is all too real. The quiet and unassuming Donald has found himself at the top of a game that is in need of a statesman. And there is no better man for the job.
Over the course of 2011 he’s duelled with the best and won – Lee Westwood at Wentworth, Webb Simpson at Disney and Martin Kaymer at the World Championships – but with modesty, grace and dignity. He withdrew from the HSBC Champions in Shanghai last week as his wife approached her due date, saying: “making history in the sport is very important to me, but the roles of husband and father are the most important…being there for my wife and family is where I have to be.”Donald isn’t going to dominate the sport in the way Woods has done for the last decade, nor is he going to attract crowds to the same extent as the new talents of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler are.
But Donald can be a role-model for the game, a leader by example and a statesman. The game needs an injection of humanity, and the Englishman is the perfect candidate to provide it.
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
Luke Donald
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