Donald ready to defend

Luke Donald will aim to become the first man in the 30-year history of the tournament to retain the Scottish Open title this week.

The 34-year-old claimed a four-shot triumph at last year's weather-affected event at Castle Stuart, securing the first win of his reign as world number one in the process.

Although his time at the summit has been interrupted by Rory McIlroy on a couple of occasions, Donald returns to Scotland having spent a combined total of 52 weeks on top of the pile and admits it is a source of great pride to him.

"I've made it a whole year I suppose so yeah, it's something I'm very proud of," he told Sky Sports News HD.

"Someone told me the other day that only four guys have held that number one spot longer, so I'm very proud of that and hopefully that will continue for a few more weeks."

Since missing the cut at the US Open last month, Donald has had three weeks off and has enjoyed the chance to recharge his batteries.

However, he insists he has been continuing to work hard on his game and is hopeful of seeing the results over the next few weeks.

"I got to go to Wimbledon on the men's semis which was a treat, spent a day in London so yeah, it's been good," he said.

Excited

"I've had three weeks off since the US Open and did a lot of good work on the swing so I'm excited to see how it performs under pressure."

"I've had three weeks off since the US Open and did a lot of good work on the swing so I'm excited to see how it performs under pressure."
Luke Donald Quotes of the week

Last year the Castle Stuart course was battered by severely adverse weather forcing officials to reduce it to a 54-hole event.

The forecast this time around is for more forgiving conditions and Donald is hoping the chance to play some links golf will stand him in good stead for next week's Open Championship at Lytham.

"People's thoughts will be moving towards next week and trying to get their games ready and obviously that's part of the reason why I'm here as well," he continued.

"It's a little bit more of a second shot golf course; the fairways are reasonably generous so it's about putting it the right side of the fairways to give yourself good angles into these holes.

"But obviously what becomes important is the second shot, putting it in the right spot because the greens are tricky - but it gives you some opportunities."