It's Luke Donald's kind of town

    Writing from Medinah, Illinois
    Wednesday, September 26, 2012

    It’s the most unusual home-course advantage in Ryder Cup history.
    Luke Donald lives about 20 miles from Medinah Country Club. A member at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, he breezes in and plays Medinah No. 3 a couple of times a year.
    He tied for third in the 2006 PGA at Medinah. He knows enough of the course to know where not to hit it.
    This week, he’s the hometown player on the visiting team. Whether that will give him an advantage in the decibel wars expected beginning Friday remains to be seen.
    “The people of Chicago are very friendly,” Donald said. “They get raucous, they get loud, but they do it in a good spirit.”
    Donald clearly has never been to the United Center when the Detroit Red Wings are visiting the Blackhawks. Blood is more likely to flow than the milk of human kindness. Some Ryder Cups have gotten that way as well. This one? It’s too early to say, but Donald fancies that it will come down to what golf tournaments always come down to.
    “It’s about putting the ball in the right place,” Donald said. “The greens here are fast and slopey. I think that’s the key to this golf course if you want to make a lot of birdies.”
    U.S. captain Davis Love III has set the course up for birdies, with the shortest rough this side of Augusta National. Donald has slipped from No. 1 in the world rankings to third, behind teammate Rory McIlroy and potential foe Tiger Woods, chiefly because he hasn’t been able to close the deal in majors. Instead, and the most recent example was the Tour Championship, he starts slow and finishes strong. A final-round 67 brought him into a tie for third at East Lake.
    This week, however, plays into a Donald strength. He’s an excellent team player, with an 8-2-1 record in four Ryder Cups, with a 6-0 record in alternate shot, what the Europeans call foursomes play. He could pair with Ian Poulter, whom he took for a few quid in Tuesday’s practice round.
    “It’s always pleasing when you can take cash out of Poulter’s wallet,” Donald said. “A few moths fell out.”
    Donald’s Chicago connection came about via Northwestern, which in turn came about only because he couldn’t get into Stanford.
    “Wally Goodwin was the coach at Stanford, and the former coach at Northwestern, and when I was rejected by Stanford, Wally pointed me towards Northwestern,” Donald said. “I made a visit, and really liked what he saw.”
    Donald excelled as a Wildcats player, hired on coach Pat Goss as his coach as well – Goss, clad in purple, was unmistakeable walking with orange-shirted Donald in the first practice round – and married a Chicago girl.
    “I’ve been fortunate to travel around most of America, visit most of the big cities and some of the smaller ones, and I always get drawn back to Chicago,” Donald said. “The people are welcoming and friendly. I just love the culture of Chicago. It’s a sporting town, which appeals to me.
    “I think the city uses the lake in a great way. You feel like you’re almost on sea or an ocean. There are great restaurants, great museums. It just feels very comfortable and easy to live, a place I’ve come to really enjoy.”
    Donald said if his team wasn’t playing golf this week, he’d take them on a tour of Lincoln Park for a few beers, baseball at Wrigley Field, then downtown to see the sights: Michigan Avenue, Buckingham Fountain, the Bean in Millennium Park. But he also said he considers himself 100 percent British.
    “Through and through,” Donald said. “I’ve reaped the benefits of the college system. It’s helped my golf. But I have a close relationship with my country.”
    Come Sunday, the European team will be wearing blue to honor Seve Ballesteros, the dashing Spaniard who helped bring the Ryder Cup to a fever pitch. The Americans – at least fans have been asked to – are expected to wear red. That’s perfect for Donald, the old Wildcat. In regular tournaments, he’ll always wear purple at least once to honor the alma mater. Maybe the Donald fans in the house of 40,000 should do the same.
    – Tim Cronin