AVONDALE, La. – Any demise of Luke Donald has been greatly exaggerated. Donald struggled in windy conditions to a/tours/player/-a/ 1-over 73 on Thursday at TPC Louisiana. The world No. 2 rebounded on Friday, however, with a second round of 7-under 65 to get into contention at the Zurich Classic.
‘I don’t know if I got the unlucky draw, but it’s nice to post a low number and get back in the mix,’ he said.
Donald did not drop a shot in his second round, making five birdies and a hole-out eagle with a 7-iron from 150 yards at the first hole – his 10th of the day. Marksmanship was the difference from Thursday as Donald’s ball spent less time drowning in water hazards.
‘Obviously, yesterday it was a little bit untidy with the few iron shots. I hit three balls in the water yesterday,’ he said. ‘Aside from the ball striking, it wasn’t that different – a little more encouraging.’
Coach Patrick Goss came in early in the week to work with Donald on his short game, which has been lagging compared to his standard.
‘I haven’t made enough putts when I had opportunities to score and we just focused on that. That’s always the key to me playing well and scoring well,’ he said.
If Donald continues to put his total game on display, the Englishman can/tours/player/-can/ regain the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking with a solo seventh-place finish or better.
‘That’s the first time I’ve heard that this week,’ he said. ‘I would’ve thought I had to have won.’
Donald will be off next week, however, as Rory McIlroy is in the field at Quail Hollow.
‘Top seven this week, I get it. Rory can get it back next week. I guess we’ll go back and forth,’ he said.