Donald's Dubai bogey-free streak hits century mark

• By Will Gray
• Nov 24, 2012 10:42 AM ET

Much can happen across the course of 100 holes.

It is a span longer than any PGA Tour event, longer even than the gauntlet facing players at the final stage of Q-School next month. Players need fewer holes to advance from the local level of U.S. Open qualifying into the field of one of golf's biggest events.

For Luke Donald, though, it's more about what hasn't happened in 100 holes – as in a bogey at the DP World Tour Championship.

After grabbing a share of the 54-hole lead with a 6-under 66 Saturday, Donald extended his bogey-free streak in Dubai to the century mark. His last dropped shot at Jumeirah Golf Estates occurred on the eighth hole of last year's second round.

Since that point, the Englishman has recorded 68 pars and 32 birdies across the Earth Course.

"It's a statistic of which I'm very proud," Donald told reporters after the round. "I think my previous longest run would probably be about 40 or 50 holes, so that puts it in perspective."

Should the streak continue Sunday, Donald could become the first player to win a European Tour event without a bogey since Jesper Parnevik won the 1995 Scandinavian Masters without a blemish.

For further perspective, consider that the last player to finish a 72-hole event on the PGA Tour without a bogey was Lee Trevino, who pulled off the feat en route to winning the Zurich Classic in 1974.