Luke Donald is a world number one PGA and European Tour golf champion. Born in England, Donald played junior golf at Hazlemere and Beaconsfield Golf Clubs, where he won his first championship at age 15. He attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Kings Langley and later the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. Donald went on to attend Northwestern University in the US, where he won the individual NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships men's title in 1999, beating the scoring record formerly held by Tiger Woods.
After turning professional in 2001, he went on to win the Southern Farm Bureau Classic the following year, becoming only the 11th rookie in PGA Tour history to earn more than $1 million in his first season. In 2004 he won both the Omega Masters and the Scandinavian Masters on the European Tour. In the same year he was a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team and also won the WGC-World Cup for England in partnership with Paul Casey. By early 2005 he was in the top twenty of the Official World Golf Rankings and his win at the 2006 Honda Classic moved him into the top ten for the first time. Soon afterwards he moved up to ninth and in January 2007 he moved up to seventh in the world.
Luke won his singles match (2&1) against Chad Campbell in the 36th Ryder Cup to help Europe win the trophy for a third successive time. He took part in three matches and won them all, also winning the foursomes twice with Sergio García. In October 2010, he was a member of the victorious European team that won the 2010 Ryder Cup with a one point edge over the USA.
In 2011, Donald was victorious at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship when he defeated the German and subsequent world number one Martin Kaymer in the final. In May 2011, Donald's run of form continued when he beat Lee Westwood in a playoff to win the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club. This was Donald's fifth victory on the European Tour and in the process he became world number one, only the third Englishman to achieve this feat.
Donald finished second at the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, four shots behind winner Adam Scott. He won his fourth title of the year at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in October 2011 and with that victory secured the PGA Tour money list title, the Vardon Trophy, the Byron Nelson Award, and became PGA’s Player of the Year. In December 2011 Donald secured the European Tour Race to Dubai for 2011, becoming the first golfer to officially claim top rank on both the PGA Tour and European Tour money lists in the same year.
Luke and his family reside in the Chicago area.
Luke Donald, PGA and European Tour golf champion, is available exclusively through IMG Speakers bureau for speaking engagements. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking Luke Donald.
