Luke Donald

DONALD PROFILE Age: 26 Country: England Ryder Cup caps: 0 Position qualified: Wildcard World ranking: 36th

A superb amateur, Luke Donald is now starting to fulfill his rich potential as a professional golfer.

The 26-year-old Englishman first made his mark as the star of the Walker Cup victories over the US in 1999 and 2001.

His haul of seven wins from eight highlighted a talent that was already imposing itself on US college golf.

A winner in his first year on the PGA Tour in 2002, Donald picked up his first European title when he claimed the Scandinavian Masters this summer.

The High Wycombe-born star then followed that performance with strong showings at the high-profile USPGA and WGC-NEC Invitational tournaments.

His breakthrough this year will have come as no surprise to seasoned golf watchers in the US. Donald won the American collegiate title in 1999, a year in which he also broke Tiger Woods' scoring average record.

Having qualified for a PGA Tour card at the first time of asking in 2001, Donald won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in his rookie year on tour.

Did you know? Donald, who studied art at university in Chicago, donated one of his paintings for a PGA Tour charity auction. It raised $1,640.