Luke Donald: Golfer Poised to Retake Top Ranking With BMW PGA Championship Win

Luke Donald is on the verge of retaking the top ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings, according to GolfChannel.com. He leads the BMW PGA Championship by two strokes heading into the fourth round, and he will overtake current No. 1 Rory McIlroy with a finish in the top eight this week.

The likelihood of Donald failing to hit that mark is slim, especially considering that at 11-under par he's currently seven strokes ahead of the golfers who currently sit at eighth place on the leaderboard.

In an era when big-hitters seem to rule the day, Donald breaks the mold. He's not a big guy, at 5'9" and 160 pounds, and he hits the ball about as far as you'd expect for a man of his stature.

Currently, Donald ranks 184th on the PGA Tour in driving distance, according to PGATour.com, averaging just under 274 yards per drive. Obviously he has some other things going for him, but they don't come in ways you might expect.

Donald isn't particularly accurate from the fairways, hitting only 64 percent of his greens in regulation (100th on tour). He isn't a birdie-making machine, either, ranking 58th on tour in that category with 3.64 birdies made per round.

Despite being a rather short hitter, where Donald shines is on Par-5s. He ranks sixth on tour in birdies or better on these holes, a truly surprising stat considering his length off the tee.

Another area of Donald's game that stands out is his ability to minimize his mistakes. He is the No. 1 scrambler in golf, recovering from bad shots 68 percent of the time.

Donald is also a spectacular putter, the top-ranked putter on the PGA tour.

Finally, Donald is one of the best final-round scorers on tour, averaging 69.29 strokes per round—third on the PGA Tour.

Donald won't blow up his final round at the BMW PGA Championship tomorrow, and with a solid finish he will reclaim his No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings.

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