It takes more than just talent

Dubai: World No 1 Luke Donald is yet to win a major and he is 34. Tiger Woods won 14 before he turned 33. Rory McIlroy has won one major, the US Open this year at the age of 22. Woods won his first major, The Masters, in 1997 at 21.

While it's too early to say if the 22-year-old Northern Irishman will go on to surpass the world's greatest golfer's achievements which includes being the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour, there's no denying his talent or intent.

It did come as a surprise however to hear Donald, on the verge of becoming the first man in history to win golf's money lists in both Europe and the US, say that McIlroy has more natural talent than Woods.

More talented?

"I've always said I think Rory has the most talent of any player I've played with on Tour," said the Englishman at a press conference at the Jumeirah Golf Estates ahead of the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship presented by DP World. "He's young, he has a great future ahead of him and I see him winning lots of tournaments and lots of Majors."

Asked if that list of Tour players included Woods, Donald added: "I believe so, yes, just in pure talent. I know Tiger is very, very close and obviously I think Tiger's work ethic and mindset are tremendous but in terms of talent, I think Rory has more."

This is not the first time that Donald has been less than generous to Woods, Back in September, in an interview to the UK's Daily Express, Donald had said of the former World No 1: "When you get that combination of injury plus the scandal that went on, mentally that's quite scarring. It's a lot to take, even for someone with one of the strongest minds in golf. It's a confidence thing. Even though Tiger's only 35, there are a lot of young guys coming up now - Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley and a bunch of others. I tend to think a new era is upon us. The Tiger era is over."

Again too early to say that, given Woods just won the Chevron World Challenge, his first tournament in two years. True it was a non-Tour event with only 18 players but Donald is probably right. It takes more than just talent to haul yourself up from the depths of despair that Woods found himself in not so long ago to return to winning ways. It also takes more than just talent to win a Major, as the current World No 1 will be the first to testify. The duo will come up against each other at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January next year and it promises to be an interesting meeting.

For now though, all eyes will be on Donald and McIlroy when the pair tee up last in Thursday's opening round on the Earth course at 12.30pm as they begin the chase for the European money title.