World No. 1 Luke Donald captured the PGA Tour money-list title after winning the season-ending Disney Classic on Sunday with a scintillating final round that included six back-nine birdies in a row at Lake Buena Vista in Florida.
The 33-year-old Briton, bidding to become the first player to win the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic, fired an eight--under 64.
Donald, who also leads the order of merit in Europe, mixed 10 birdies with two bogeys to record a 17-under total of 271, two ahead of American Justin Leonard.
GOOD TIMING
“That was tough, it wasn’t looking good. I really hadn’t got on a run and I timed it pretty well, the back nine when everything was on the line,” Donald told reporters after taking his prize-money haul this season to US$6.68 million. “This was a tremendous year for me. It’s very, very satisfying.”
The Englishman needed to finish no worse than in a two-way tie for second place to take the money-list honors and entered the final round five shots behind the tournament leaders.
He started the week in a head-to-head battle with American Webb Simpson for the order of merit title.
Simpson, playing the final round with Donald, could not keep pace as his closing 69 left him on 13-under 275.
TOUGH OPPONENT
“Playing against the best player in the world, I expected him to play well this week,” Simpson said after finishing more than US$300,000 adrift of Donald overall. “It was tough to compete against a guy that has so much confidence.”
Donald’s second PGA Tour win of the season came in dramatic fashion as he birdied six holes in a row from the 10th.
After hitting approach shots close at 12 and 13, Donald made a lengthy putt on 14 and capped his run with a long-range effort and an emphatic fist pump on 15.
Donald then made par on his final three holes.
Kevin Chappell (72), who held a share of the third-round lead with Leonard, ended in a tie for third place with fellow American Tom Pernice (69) and South Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon (68).
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