Abu Dhabi
Luke Donald must have seen quite a bit of his 2011 self in Henrik Stenson this year. The Swede won both the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, similar to what the Englishman had done two years back when he topped the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.
It’s been a rough ride, however, for the 36-year-old since then and in an exclusive interview with XPRESS ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship from January 16-19, the former World No. 1 talks about the challenges he has faced and how he has been overcoming them.
“This year has been a bit of a transitional year for me from a swing point of view, but I think I am really close to where I was in 2011 and I really feel as if I am starting to hit the ball more consistently tee to green,” said the man, known more for his precision with the irons and for possessing one of the best short games on the Tour.
“My victory in Japan at the Dunlop Phoenix in November shows that I am heading in the right direction and the hard work is paying off. It was very pleasing and to beat the rest of the field by six shots certainly helped give me some extra belief going in to 2014.
“I have been working pretty hard over the last six months with my coach and will continue to do so in the off-season. I had quite a long lay-off over Christmas last year which made the middle of my season quite hectic, so this year I will have a little rest just before Christmas but apart from that, I will be working as normal to get myself ready for 2014,” he added.
One of the game’s true gentlemen, Donald was effusive in his praise of Stenson for his achievements this year.
“What Henrik achieved in 2013 was very impressive and I don’t think there has been a better player in golf over the last six months. He has been in total control of his game and I guess that is what I can relate to from my year in 2011. This year he has seemed so comfortable under the pressure and has been able to grind out good results even while carrying a wrist injury. When I won the Race to Dubai in 2011, I sort of did the same and managed to get a result when I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent comfortable with my game.
That, though, is a thing of past and Donald is well into his preparation for 2014 and high up on his list of priorities is winning that elusive Major. “Winning a Major championship is obviously at the top of my list of goals and has been for some time now. I am working on my game with the help of Chuck Cook to try and compete on a regular basis, having been close on a number of occasions. I think that there is a premium on ball striking in the Majors which is what I’ve been predominantly working on with Chuck and I already feel as if I am making progress,” said Donald, whose best finishes have included two tied-3rds, a tied-5th and a tied-8th.
First up, however, is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. “I am very excited to be starting 2014 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. It’s a tournament that is so well respected on the European Tour and always draws a strong field. The tournaments stature really has grown year-on-year and is definitely a trophy that I would love to take home with me. With 2014 being a Ryder Cup year, every event counts and to start the year well would boost my chances of competing against America for Team Europe. I have played here on two previous occasions so hopefully I can make this appearance third time lucky,” he said.
Looking ahead, Donald hopes to be part of the Olympic movement when golf returns to Rio in 2016 after more than 100 years.
“Making the team is obviously the first goal for me, but winning a medal in Rio would mean a lot, especially because I will be representing my country, Great Britain. Golf hasn’t been part of the Olympics for over 100 years and there will certainly be a lot of interest in who is playing and who wins in Rio. I have represented my country on a number of occasions in the World Cup of golf as well as amateur competitions and have always had a great time so I expect playing in something as prestigious as the Olympics will be an amazing experience,” he said.
