SAN ANTONIO — Things haven’t gone well for five-time PGA Tour champ and former World No. 1 Luke Donald of late, as he’s failed to make the cut in each of the last eight events he’s played.
And they don’t look any rosier after he stumbled to a 77 in the opening round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday.
After closing the day by knocking his ball into the water and taking double-bogey on the par-5 finishing hole, Donald was asked by a friend if he was ready to hang things up.
“I was caught off guard a little, to be honest. Sure it’s crossed my mind from time to time in moments when I’m down on myself if I want to keep doing this — who wouldn’t get frustrated when you are working hard and not seeing the results,” Donald said in an Instagram post.
But then he opened the window on his hotel room this Good Friday and realized how fortunate he is.
“But as I pulled back my curtains from my hotel room this morning and saw this beautiful sunrise, all I could think about was what a great opportunity I have today to do something great & how fortunate I am to be doing it. Most of the time, I feel pretty encouraged with my game, it really doesn’t feel very far away — the difference between success and failure is so minimal at the level I play,” he said.
Donald was No. 1 in the world back in 2011, the year he led the PGA Tour in earnings. But he hasn’t won since the 2012 Transitions Championship (now Valspar) in Tampa and has earned just $30,210 in 12 starts on the PGA Tour this season.
Donald is scheduled to go off for his second round in San Antonio at 1:04 p.m. CT.
