Luke Donald facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luke Donald MBE
Donald in April 2011 at The Heritage
Personal information
Full name	Luke Campbell Donald
Born	(1977-12-07) 7 December 1977 (age 47) 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
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 MBE (born 7 December 1977) is an English professional golfer who was once ranked as the best golfer in the world. He plays on both the American PGA Tour and the European Tour.

Donald had an amazing year in 2011. He won the most prize money on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour in the same year. No other golfer had ever done that before. He won many awards, including PGA Player of the Year and European Tour Golfer of the Year.

In May 2011, Donald became the world's number one golfer. He held this top spot for a total of 56 weeks. He is one of only two English golfers to become number one without winning a major championship, along with Lee Westwood. For his contributions to golf, he was awarded an MBE in 2012.

More recently, Donald was the captain of the European team for the 2023 Ryder Cup. He led his team to victory against the United States.

Early Life and School Golf

Luke Donald was born in Hemel Hempstead, England. His father was from Scotland, so he has called himself "half Scottish." He started playing golf at a young age at local clubs. He was very talented and won his club's championship when he was only 15.

To play golf in college, he sent his resume to universities in the United States. He received a golf scholarship to Northwestern University in Illinois. There, he studied art and played on the golf team. In 1999, he won the national college championship, even beating a record set by Tiger Woods.

Professional Golf Career

Becoming a Pro

Donald turned professional in 2001. In his first full year on the PGA Tour in 2002, he won his first tournament, the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. This win helped him earn over $1 million in his rookie season.

In 2004, he won two events on the European Tour. He was also part of the winning European team in the Ryder Cup, a famous competition between Europe and the USA. In 2005, he played in the Masters Tournament for the first time and finished in a tie for third place. This great performance moved him up to 13th in the world rankings.

In 2006, he won the Honda Classic in Florida, which pushed him into the world's top 10 for the first time. He also helped Europe win the Ryder Cup again that year, winning all three of his matches.

Reaching World Number One in 2011

The year 2011 was the best of Donald's career. In February, he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. This is a major tournament where players compete one-on-one. Donald played so well that he never fell behind in any of his matches all week.

In May, he played in the BMW PGA Championship in England. He faced Lee Westwood in a playoff. At the time, Westwood was ranked number one in the world, and Donald was number two. By winning the playoff, Donald won the tournament and took over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He continued to win, including the Barclays Scottish Open. By the end of the year, he had won the most prize money on both the American and European tours, a historic achievement.

Battle for the Top Spot

In 2012, Donald and Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy competed for the number one ranking. They traded the top spot back and forth several times. Donald won the Transitions Championship in March to get back to number one.

In May 2012, he won the BMW PGA Championship for the second year in a row. This victory put him back at world number one again. He became only the third player to win that important event two years in a row.

Later Career and Ryder Cup Captaincy

Donald at the Open de France in 2013.

In the following years, Donald continued to compete around the world. In 2013, he won the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan for the second time. He had some strong finishes, including being runner-up five times at the RBC Heritage tournament without ever winning it.

Injuries sometimes made it difficult for him to play his best. He had to take time off for wrist and back pain. However, he kept working hard to compete at a high level.

In 2022, Donald was named the captain for Team Europe in the 2023 Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a team event held every two years between the best golfers from Europe and the United States. As captain, he was not a player but a leader who chose the team and made strategic decisions. He led his team to a big victory over the Americans in Italy. He was chosen to be the captain again for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Life Outside of Golf

Donald has many interests besides golf. He studied art in college and enjoys painting. He and his wife, Diane, collect art. He also partnered with a company to create his own brand of wine.

Donald married Diane Antonopoulos in 2007. They met at Northwestern University. The couple has three daughters and homes in Illinois and Florida.

He has sponsorship deals with companies like Mizuno Corp., which makes his golf clubs, and Jordan, which supplies his shoes.

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	4 Nov 2002	Southern Farm Bureau Classic	66-68-67=201*	−15	1 stroke	Deane Pappas
2	12 Mar 2006	The Honda Classic	72-67-68-69=276	−12	2 strokes	Geoff Ogilvy
3	27 Feb 2011	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	3 and 2			Martin Kaymer
4	23 Oct 2011	Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic	66-71-70-64=271	−17	2 strokes	Justin Leonard
5	18 Mar 2012	Transitions Championship	67-68-70-66=271	−13	Playoff	Bae Sang-moon, Jim Furyk, Robert Garrigus

*Note: The 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

European Tour wins (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	1 Aug 2004	Scandinavian Masters	69-65-69-69=272	−16	5 strokes	Peter Hanson
2	5 Sep 2004	Omega European Masters	67-67-65-66=265	−19	5 strokes	Miguel Ángel Jiménez
3	30 May 2010	Madrid Masters	65-67-68-67=267	−21	1 stroke	Rhys Davies
4	27 Feb 2011	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	3 and 2			Martin Kaymer
5	29 May 2011	BMW PGA Championship	64-72-72-70=278	−6	Playoff	Lee Westwood
6	10 Jul 2011	Barclays Scottish Open	67-67-63=197*	−19	4 strokes	Fredrik Andersson Hed
7	27 May 2012	BMW PGA Championship (2)	68-68-69-68=273	−15	4 strokes	Paul Lawrie, Justin Rose

*Note: The 2011 Barclays Scottish Open was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Results in major championships

• Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (2004 PGA – 2007 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2006 PGA – 2007 Masters)

Team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1999 (winners), 2001 (winners)

Professional

• Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners), 2010 (winners), 2012 (winners), 2023 (non-playing captain, winners), 2025 (captain)
• WGC-World Cup (representing England): 2004 (winners), 2005, 2006

See also

In Spanish: Luke Donald para niños

• 2001 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins