Donald targets major glory
Englishman looking to break major duck after historic season
By Mark Kendall - Twitter: @SkySportsMK. Last Updated: December 12, 2011 8:29am
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Luke Donald: Confirmed as Europe's number one after his Race to Dubai victory
Luke Donald admits he surprised himself by winning the money-list title on both sides of the Atlantic this season and hopes it can be the springboard to major success in 2012.
Having already bagged the PGA Tour crown, the Englishman sealed the European Tour's Race to Dubai trophy in some style as he shot a final round of 66 to finish third at the Dubai World Championship behind Paul Lawrie and winner Alvaro Quiros.
With Rory McIlroy - who needed to win to deny him - never in the hunt on the final day, Donald admitted he knew his historic double was in the bag some way before the end of his round on Sunday.
"I didn't really look at a leaderboard until 13, I knew I was a few back, but I didn't see Rory's name on it and at that point I knew the double was mine and I was going to finish number one in Europe as well," he told Sky Sports.
"Any time you're able to dig deep and find the right shots when it becomes the hardest, then it serves you well and hopefully I can use that to guide me to a major or two coming up."
Luke Donald Quotes of the week
"It was good, it was hard to concentrate in a way, I had so many mixed emotions, but I tried to finish strong and three birdies was a nice way to finish the year off.
Consistency
"It's something I really didn't think was that possible. I played extremely solid, consistent golf all year - winning four times and playing right at the right moments. It's testament to my hard work and it's nice to see it paying off."
When asked what the key to his phenomenal success in 2011 had been, he responded: "Good work ethic, good people around me pushing me to work harder and every time you succeed you get a little bit stronger in your belief."
Donald also acknowledged he is now targeting a maiden major success next year, having established himself as the world's undisputed number one over the past 12 months.
"Any time you're able to dig deep and find the right shots when it becomes the hardest, then it serves you well and hopefully I can use that to guide me to a major or two coming up," he continued.
"I'll remember these situations and feed off them and I hope next year is even better."
It was an emotional triumph for the Englishman who, as well as seeing his second child born recently, also lost his father last month.
He revealed that his father had been on his mind during the final round, adding: "He certainly popped into my head a few times, especially after 13 when I knew I'd won it. I just remembered him and I think he'd have been very proud of me."
