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Luke Donald blitzed the field with a final round of 63 to romp to a four-stroke victory in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart on Sunday.
The win was the first of his reign as world number one and also provided the perfect tune-up for this week’s Open Championship at Sandwich. Four shots behind the leaders at the start of the day, the Englishman narrowed that gap to just one as he completed a second round 67.
For much of the week in the Highlands all the talk was of how the new Castle Stuart course that staged the Scottish Open would provide the perfect preparation for players heading to the Open Championship. The theory was well founded – a links test to provide a decent workout for the shots that will be needed on the Kent coast in the third Major of the year.
With the tournament cut to 54 holes because of all the rain delays in Inverness, Donald closed with an error-free 63 to finish four clear of his closest challenger on 19-under-par. It was Fredrik Andersson Hed who ended as runner-up, the Swede producing a best-of-the-day 62 to climb up the leaderboard.
Colin Montgomerie’s bid to secure a spot at the Open Championship ultimately ended in failure. The Scot, who needed a top-five finish, looked to be right in contention early in the day, but slipped back to end up on 10-under-par in a tie for 31st. That means that Europe’s former Ryder Cup captain will now miss his first Open since 1989 after failing to secure qualification.
It was Montgomerie’s compatriot Scott Jamieson who claimed the spot on offer thanks to a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole.
All eyes will be on Royal St George’s this week as one of the world’s most iconic sporting events returns to Sandwich. The 140th Open Championship will be back at the Kent venue for the first time since 2003, but after a dry spring and a wet summer, just what can the world’s top golfers expect?
It will certainly be a course that is running harder and faster than Castle Stuart did. The eyes of the golfing word will be on Rory McIroy once again as he comes out of a three-week break since the US Open and straight back into one of the biggest tournaments in the world. He has had criticism from many sides for this, but I think he will tee off on Thursday refreshed and raring to go.
Of course, Luke Donald leads the home challenge but I think the majority of the gallery will be rooting for Lee Westwood as he seeks his elusive first Major. It will be like watching the great Sir Nick Faldo once again with the hopes of the home nation carried on his shoulders.
We know now that the strength in depth of the field is greater than ever before and there could be a hundred players this week that could carry home the Claret Jug.
The Open will attract a global viewing audience of over 400 million, with more than 175,000 watching the action live on the course.
It is my favourite week of the year, as it is for so many others; top flight championship golf in its purist form, it doesn’t get much better than that.
