Luke Donald's Disney Win Proves Most Satisfying

Supposedly, Babe Ruth once promised to hit a home run and delivered. Just part of The Babe’s legacy. Where then, does a feat like Luke Donald’s fit into the history of sports? 

It gave him the PGA Tour money title and not unimportantly the PGA of America Vardon Trophy for low scoring average for 2011 and the PGA of America Player of the Year award, which is based on points for tournament titles, money list and scoring average. No voting is involved.

Donald wanted the PGA Tour money title for the second year in a row, but he had intended to sit out the remainder of the 2011 PGA Tour season because he was ahead. 

Then Webb Simpson, who was No. 2 in money, entered the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island. On the Friday of McGladrey, which was the deadline date for entering the Children’s Miracle Network Classic the following week, Simpson was tied for first place at the McGladrey.

Donald could go from leading the money race to being behind Simpson. That's exactly how it played out.

Both of them entered the Disney event and as it turned out, they would be paired together every day. 

“I told you guys on Wednesday that the goal was to win. You know, nothing was really going to be good enough other than that,” Donald explained before the Children's Miracle Network event. 

Donald was tied for the lead after day one, but had faltered by the end of the third round.  A text from his caddie Saturday evening gave Donald needed confidence. It said : It's not over yet. We still haven't got on a run.

Sunday would have to be the day for Donald to find his own brand of Disney magic. 

“I think this is probably one of the most satisfying wins of my career,” Donald said after winning. “It was kind of do or die. Obviously it wasn't looking great after the 8th hole, but I knew I was going to get on to a run. I didn't play my best golf throughout the week. I knew that something good was want to happen. Just kept plugging away. To birdie the first six holes on the back nine was the difference this week.”

Donald won in what some would call “Tigeresque” fashion. He had to win it, and he did. Then he started collecting awards.

There is still one goal he has for 2011: to also hold the money title in Europe at the same time, something that has never been done by any player. 

The reason is because of the (Seve) Ballesteros rule, which was rescinded in the mid-1990s.  The Ballesteros Rule was instituted to keep Seve Ballesteros from cherry picking golf events in the US. 

After the emergence of Ballesteros, foreign players had to play 15 PGA Tour events to be PGA Tour members. The majors did not count in that, meaning they really had to play 18 here, plus the British Open 19 events. Even with the majors counting on both tours, that was considered too hard to do for any foreign player.

The foreign player who was most successful at winning the money title moved here, Greg Norman, with three PGA Tour money titles in a 10 year period.

Once the World Golf Championships counted on both tours and Ballesteros Rule was rescinded, the majors were included in the number of required tournaments. Things changed. Sergio Garcia made a career in the US and won the money title in 1998, on the back of his Players victory. He played both tours for more than a decade before his recent two year slump which was broken in style with a double-digit victory in Spain. 

However, thanks in part to the rule change, Luke Donald has an excellent chance to make history at the end of this season.

He currently leads the “Race to Dubai,” the name for the European money title, by 1.3 million pounds. His schedule for the next few weeks includes Sun City, Dubai and Aussie Masters, but if he has to make a change to capture two money titles, he could.

“It would mean a big deal to win both Money Lists,” he said. “I could potentially swap out NedBank (Sun City) for Hong Kong maybe, but we'll have to see. Right now, my schedule is pretty firm.” 

Now for the funny part of the Disney victory: “It's a little bit ironic, I suppose, that Donald Duck was handing me the trophy,” Donald added.

Kathy Bissell is a golf writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the USGA, PGA Tour or PGA of America.