MARANA – Britain’s Luke Donald concluded a week of dominant golf by winning the biggest title of his career with a 3&2 victory over Germany’s Martin Kaymer in Sunday’s final of WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Three up after just five holes on a chilly day at Dove Mountain’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Donald held off a front-nine fightback by the German before sealing the win with a two-putt par at the short 16th.
It was Donald’s third PGA Tour victory but his first in an elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event and will lift him to a career-high third in the world rankings on Monday. Kaymer, who had been bidding for his second triumph on the U.S. circuit, will take over from Britain’s Lee Westwood as world number one when the new rankings are issued.
“It’s been an amazing week,” a beaming Donald told reporters after winning his first PGA Tour title since the 2006 Honda Classic. “It’s been a long time since I’ve won in the US. “To come here and beat the top 63 players in the world is very gratifying. I had a lot of good things happen, made a bunch of birdies, never trailed in a match.”
“And hat’s off to Martin for becoming number one in the world,” the Englishman added after earning the winner’s cheque of $1.4 million. “It’s quite an accomplishment.”
