‘Invincible’ Donald steals the show to edge nearer No 1 world ranking

IT is a testament to the strength of European golf that the biggest tournament on the continent is laced with intriguing sub-plots.

From the race for world No 1, which is being won convincingly by Luke Donald who described his best-of-the-day 64 as one of the best rounds of his career, to the battle between the four major champions of the European Tour which sadly turned into a damp squib in the showery and breezy conditions.

From the continuing emergence of a superstar in teenager Matteo Manassero, to the renaissance of Colin Montgomerie, who matched Donald over the opening holes yesterday morning before falling back into the chasing pack.

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Everywhere you looked there were storylines befitting of the ‘fifth major’ tag this tournament has acquired due to the amount of Europeans dominating the world rankings.

Add a quartet of Yorkshiremen vying for a share of top billing on a course playing long and exacting and quite a weekend is in store.

Simon Dyson and John Parry shared those particular honours with a pair of level-par 71s, Dyson’s a lot more steady than Parry’s mixed bag of a PGA debut.

But it was Donald who stole the show. The game’s form player has finished in the top 10 in his last eight tournaments – a sequence that includes a win and two runner-up finishes – and he will become the world No 1 on Sunday night if the current incumbent Lee Westwood finishes below him and Martin Kaymer outside the top two.

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Donald outscored Westwood by eight shots and Kaymer by 10 and ominously described his mindset after dropping just one stroke as ‘invincible’.

Donald’s confidence is not arrogance, but his game and the words to describe it are flowing.

“It’s probably one of the best rounds I’ve ever played,” said the Englishman, who holds a two-shot lead over Manessaro and Johan Edfors.

“To have total control of the golf ball doesn’t happen that often. It was very, very satisfactory.

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“I guess you feel a little bit invincible. Not a lot of negative thoughts creep in.

“A lot of shots I hit just seemed to be exactly how I saw them.”

He added that the No 1 spot was not his priority, that winning the tournament came first.

After missing out on the European Tour’s flagship title at the 71st hole last year he looks in no mood to make such a mistake again.

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“I’m high on confidence and the swing is in good position so I’ll just go out there tomorrow and trust it again,” he said.

Fearless Manassero might just be the man to rein him in. Already a two-time winner on Tour, the 17-year-old modestly referred to his 66 as ‘solid’.

Worksop’s Westwood is by no means out of it after a 72 that got better as the weather turned later in the day.

And winning Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie gave the galleries flashes of his old self as he raced to five-under through eight holes only to hand three shots back coming home.

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Malton’s Dyson played well from tee to green but failed to master the short game in a round that included two birdies and three-putt on the par-four 16th.

“I played nicely, I’m in a good position,” said the 33-year-old.

“I didn’t necessarily putt badly it was just the speed of the greens.

“Usually around here level par leaves you 60th but right now I’m top 25 or so and well placed to have a go over the next few days.”

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Harrogate’s Parry, 24, started with two bogeys but kept his head and got back to level by the turn before a birdie on par-five 17 moved him one under.

A neat up and down form a greenside bunker on the last was for bogey, but last year’s Vivendi Trophy winner said: “If you’d have offered me level after two holes I’d have snapped your hand off.

“If I go two under each of the next three days I won’t be a million miles away.”

Sheffield’s Danny Willett needs to beat par today to make the cut after inconsistency with his irons resulted in a five-over 76.

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“It’s disappointing. It was pretty tough out there, and looking at the scores the morning starters had the better of it,” said the 23-year-old who led the tournament after day one last year. “I’ve just got to come out in the morning and hope the weather is favourable and I can shoot a good score. The cut line is probably going to be three, four or five over depending what the wind is like so I’ve got to shoot under par.”

There were some horror scores in the capricious weather, Richard Finch’s 78 among them, a score that was only rescued by a birdie on the par-five 18th, one of golf’s great risk-reward holes.

“It was a nice note to finish on but it was a tough day really,” said the 33-year-old from Hull. “I just frittered shots away around the green.

“In those situations you can either keep plugging away or chuck the towel in, and I’m not one to do that.

“Because you never know in this game, everything could snowball in the other direction and I might shoot a few under par.”