Luke Donald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Luke DonaldMBE |
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Donald in April 2011 at The Heritage
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Luke Campbell Donald |
| Born | 7 December 1977 Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Nationality |  England |
| Residence | Northfield, Illinois, U.S.; Evanston, Illinois, U.S.; High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England; Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Diane Antonopoulos
(m. 2007) |
| Children | 3 |
| Career | |
| College | Northwestern University |
| Turned professional | 2001 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour (joined 2002) European Tour (joined 2003) |
| Professional wins | 17 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| European Tour | 7 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 2 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T3: 2005 |
| U.S. Open | T8: 2013 |
| The Open Championship | T5: 2009, 2012 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 2006 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Fred Haskins Award | 1999 |
| PGA Tour money list winner |
2011 |
| PGA Tour Player of the Year |
2011 |
| PGA Player of the Year | 2011 |
| Byron Nelson Award | 2011 |
| Vardon Trophy | 2011 |
| European Tour Race to Dubai winner |
2011 |
| European Tour Golfer of the Year |
2011 |
| European Tour Players' Player of the Year |
2011 |
Luke Campbell Donald is a famous English professional golfer. He was born on December 7, 1977. He used to be the number one golfer in the world! He plays mostly on the PGA Tour in the U.S. and is also part of the European Tour.
Luke Donald had an amazing year in 2011. He won many tournaments and awards. He was the first golfer to win both the PGA Tour money list and the European Race to Dubai in the same year. This means he earned the most money on both tours. He was also named the best player on both tours. In 2012, he received an MBE award for his great contributions to golf.
In May 2011, Luke became the world's top golfer. He held this spot for 40 weeks! He later got it back and held it for another 10 weeks. In total, he spent 56 weeks as the World Number One. He has finished in the top 10 in major championships eight times. He was also the captain for the European team in the 2023 Ryder Cup, leading them to a big win.
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Luke Donald's Early Life and Golf Start
Luke Donald was born in Hemel Hempstead, England. His father was from Scotland, but Luke plays golf as an Englishman. He went to the Rudolf Steiner School and later the Royal Grammar School. He started playing golf at Hazlemere and Beaconsfield Golf Clubs. He even became the club champion at Beaconsfield when he was just 15! His brother, Christian, also played golf and sometimes helped Luke as a caddie.
College Golf in the U.S.
Luke moved to the United States for college. He got a golf scholarship to Northwestern University in 1997. There, he studied art and joined a fraternity. His golf coach was Pat Goss. In 1999, Luke won a big college golf title, beating a scoring record once held by Tiger Woods. He also became the first amateur (non-professional) to win the Chicago Open in 2000.
Luke Donald's Professional Golf Career
Luke Donald became a professional golfer in 2001. He played his first professional tournament at the Reno-Tahoe Open. In 2002, he won his first PGA Tour title at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. This made him one of the few rookies to earn over $1 million in their first season!
Winning on the European Tour
In 2004, Luke won two tournaments on the European Tour: the Omega European Masters and the Scandinavian Masters. That same year, he was part of the winning European Ryder Cup team. He also won the WGC-World Cup for England with his partner, Paul Casey.
In 2005, Luke played in his first Masters Tournament and finished in third place. He was very happy with his performance. Later, he even got to play with golf legend Jack Nicklaus in his final career rounds at the 2005 Open Championship.
More Wins and Top Rankings
In 2006, Luke won his second PGA Tour event, the Honda Classic. This win put him in the top ten of the World Rankings for the first time. He also helped Europe win the 2006 Ryder Cup by winning all his matches.
In 2008, Luke had a wrist injury that kept him from playing for six months. He missed some big tournaments. But in 2010, he won the Madrid Masters, his first title in four years. He was also part of the European team that won the 2010 Ryder Cup again.
Becoming World Number One in 2011
Luke's biggest win came in February 2011 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. He beat Martin Kaymer in the final. Luke played incredibly well all week and never fell behind in any match. This victory made him the third-ranked golfer in the world.
He kept playing well and reached the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship. In May 2011, Luke beat Lee Westwood in a playoff to win the BMW PGA Championship. This win made him the new world number one golfer! He was the third Englishman to reach this top spot.
In July 2011, Luke won his first tournament as the world number one at the Barclays Scottish Open. He finished the year by winning the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. This secured his spot as the top earner on the PGA Tour. He also won the European Tour's Race to Dubai. This made him the first golfer to be the top earner on both major tours in the same year!
Battling for the Top Spot in 2012
In 2012, Luke had a close battle with Rory McIlroy for the number one ranking. He lost the top spot to McIlroy, but then won the Transitions Championship to get it back. They traded the number one position several times that year.
Luke also successfully defended his title at the BMW PGA Championship in May 2012. This was his seventh win on the European Tour and put him back at world number one for the fourth time. Later in 2012, he won the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.
Later Career and Ryder Cup Captaincy
In 2013, Luke won the Dunlop Phoenix tournament again. He continued to play in many tournaments, sometimes finishing in the top 10. In 2014, he changed coaches but later went back to his old coach, Pat Goss.
In 2016 and 2017, Luke had some good finishes, including being runner-up at the RBC Heritage twice. In 2017, he had to stop playing early due to chest pains but was okay.
In 2018, Luke became a vice-captain for the European Ryder Cup team. They won the Ryder Cup that year! In 2019, he started to play better after an injury. In 2020, he was named a vice-captain again for the Ryder Cup.
On August 1, 2022, Luke Donald was chosen to be the captain of the European Ryder Cup team for the 2023 matches in Italy. He led his team to a big victory against the United States!
Luke Donald's Life Off the Course
Luke Donald met his wife, Diane Antonopoulos, while they were both at Northwestern University. They got married in Greece in 2007 and have three daughters. They live in different places, including Illinois and Florida.
Luke is also interested in art. He studied art in college and enjoys painting and drawing. One of his oil paintings was even sold for charity! He and his wife also collect modern art. His brother, Christian, was his caddie for a while. Luke's father passed away in 2011, just before his second daughter was born.
Luke Donald's Golf Achievements
Luke Donald has won many golf tournaments throughout his career.
Amateur Wins
- 1999: NCAA Division I Championship
- 2000: Northeast Amateur
- 2001: Northeast Amateur
Professional Wins
Luke has won 17 professional tournaments, including:
- 5 wins on the PGA Tour, like the Southern Farm Bureau Classic (2002) and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2011).
- 7 wins on the European Tour, including the BMW PGA Championship twice (2011, 2012).
- 2 wins on the Japan Golf Tour, both at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2012, 2013).
- 3 other wins, including the WGC-World Cup with Paul Casey in 2004.
Luke has had some great finishes in major championships, including two third-place finishes at the Masters and PGA Championship.
Sponsorships and Businesses
Luke Donald has worked with several companies throughout his career. He has had sponsorship deals with golf equipment companies like Mizuno, which provides his clubs and visor. He also has a deal with Jordan for his shoes. He used to be sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren but now works with Greyson Clothiers.
In 2007, Luke started his own wine collection with Terlato Wines. He has released different types of wines, showing his interest in food and wine.
Images for kids
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Donald at the Open de France 2013.
