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DP World Tour Championship: Luke Donald builds confidence with second-round 66 in Dubai

Luke Donald: DP World Tour Championship second round, Dubai
Image: Luke Donald: Eight birdies in second-round 66

Luke Donald insists he has gone a long way to rebuilding his confidence following an encouraging second round at the DP World Tour Championship.

The Englishman has endured a torrid season which culminated in him being overlooked for the European Ryder Cup team in September.

Donald began his preparations for next year by leaving swing guru Chuck Cook and working more with long-term coach Pat Goss, admitting he needed to "get back to basics" to halt his slide down the world rankings.

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The 36-year-old scrapped his way to an opening four-over 76 in Dubai, but he responded with a morale-boosting 66 which lifted him into the top half of the leaderboard.

After two opening birdies, Donald gave both shots back in as many holes before getting back in the red at the fifth, and he hit a sparkling run of form after the turn as he picked up four shots in five holes and added another at the last.

Determined

"I felt a lot better today," said Donald. "On Thursday I made a couple of early bogeys and had that kind of 'here we go again' attitude.

"Today, I was determined to let every shot be what it was and try my best on the next one. I was a bit better mentally. That related into my physical game and I was able to hole a few more putts.

"My game can't be too far away. It's nice to see some numbers in the 60s, it's been a bit of a run for me shooting loads of 70s."

Donald turned to Cook last year in a bid to add the distance he felt he needed to compete for majors, but the move backfired as he slipped to 39th in the world rankings - his lowest position for five years.

He managed only four top-10 finishes over both the European and PGA Tours in 2014, but he feels working more with Goss will help him climb back into the elite echelon of golfers next season.

"He's always been a mentor to me," added Donald. "I was still with him last season, it wasn't a complete breakaway.

"It was more difficult having two coaches, but Goss has always been really good at understanding how to get the most out of me physically and mentally."

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