* More Wentworth glory for Donald
* Rose and Lawrie share second place
(Adds Rose quotes)
By Tony Jimenez
VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 27 (Reuters) – Briton Luke
Donald went to the top of the world rankings for the fourth time
in 12 months after strolling to a seemingly effortless
four-stroke victory in the PGA Championship at Wentworth on
Sunday.
The 34-year-old Englishman took over from Northern Ireland’s
Rory McIlroy at the summit after shooting a four-under 68 for a
15-under tally of 273 at the European Tour’s flagship event.
World number 10 Justin Rose (70), partnering countryman
Donald in the final round, missed a succession of birdie chances
and had to settle for a share of second place with 1999 British
Open champion Paul Lawrie (66) on 277.
Ireland’s Peter Lawrie (71) finished in fourth position on
280.
“I thought my win here last year was going to be hard to top
but I really enjoyed the walk down the 18th with a four-shot
lead,” said Donald at the prize-giving ceremony.
“This is the biggest event we play on the European Tour and
I managed to play a solid back nine to keep Justin and Paul at
bay.”
Donald, who retained the PGA title he won for the first time
last year in a playoff with Lee Westwood, became only the third
player to win the trophy in back-to-back years after Nick Faldo
(1980-81) and Colin Montgomerie (1998-1999-2000).
The anticipated head-to-head “Duel in the Sun” with Rose
never materialised as the latter failed to convert half a dozen
birdie chances while Donald plotted his way round in typically
steady fashion in light winds on the outskirts of London.
Rose smashed his club into the turf in frustration at the
15th hole after a wayward approach landed in a greenside bunker.
While his partner was bogeying that hole, Donald tapped his
tummy and heaved a visible sigh of relief after knocking in a
knee-trembling par-saving effort from four feet.
BIRDIE THREE
Rose also found a greenside bunker at the 16th and his title
rival effectively sealed the first prize of 750,000 euros
($938,400) by sinking his putt for a birdie three from 10 feet.
The unflappable Donald, who went to world number one for the
first time after winning here last year, was asked if he was in
as much control as he appeared to be in Sunday’s final round.
“Looks can be deceiving but I certainly played nicely the
whole week,” he said.
“Today was probably the most difficult day for me in terms
of pressure, after having started out with a two-shot lead and
never having successfully defended a title before.
“Justin had been playing really solid and I knew I had to be
mistake-free.”
Donald has won a host of glittering prizes around the world,
and last year became the first player to top the orders of merit
on both sides of the Atlantic.
However, it is next month’s U.S. Open, the British Open in
July and the U.S. PGA Championship in August that he has his eye
on.
“I have three majors coming up and that’s the next goal, to
try and pick up one of the big ones for the first time,” said
the smiling Englishman.
“Every time you pick up a trophy it’s an experience of
closing out a tournament, and hopefully it will serve me well
over the next few months.”
Rose heaped praise on Donald, saying he “certainly played
like a champion”.
“The difference was his putter,” Rose added. “He buried a
lot of putts in the middle of the round.
“He played really well and there were no loose shots from
him coming down the stretch. With his short game and the way he
makes 20 and 30-footers – he’s tough to beat.”
($1 = 0.7992 euros)
(Editing by Matt Barker)
