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Donald confident of denying in-form McIlroy

Luke Donald is expecting to pip Rory McIlroy this week © Getty Images

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World No. 1 Luke Donald is confident he has enough quality to hold off Rory McIlroy and win the season-ending Race to Dubai this week.

Donald, a four-time winner in 2011, has come under late pressure from the US Open champion in his landmark bid to win the money titles on both the PGA and European Tour in the same calendar year, after McIlroy's dramatic victory in the Hong Kong Open last week.

McIlroy can still pip Donald to the Race to Dubai crown with a win this week at the Dubai World Championship, which would also help him narrow the gap further between the two at the top of the world rankings. But Donald is confident he will hold off his young rival.

"I knew Rory would put pressure on me and make it tough going, but I've still got a nice comfortable lead," Donald said, according to The Telegraph. "He's going to have to go out and win this week, beating a high-quality field. I think the advantage is still with me - I'm looking forward to it."

Eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie paid tribute to Donald, expecting him to go on and achieve a success no other player has officially completed.

"It would be a wonderful achievement that no one has ever managed before," Montgomerie said. "Luke has been the best player in the world this year, and he is ranked accordingly."

Donald and McIlroy have not been free from criticism this week, however. Both men will play at next week's Thailand Open before they bring a close to their 2011 seasons, and are being paid significant appearance fees to do so - something that has angered Thai golfer Thaworn Wiratchant, who believes there are more pressing issues in the flood-affected country.

"This will do nothing to help Thai golf. We are paying too much money to get foreign players without a reason," Wiratchant said.

"While it might be a good idea to show the world Thailand is back to normal, the money could have been used to help the thousands affected by the floods."

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