• ESPN Sports Personality of the Year - No. 5

Luke Donald: Money matters

Josh Williams December 19, 2011

The past 12 months of the sporting calendar have thrown up a plethora of memorable performances, including a near-invincible tennis star, a globally-loved golfing success story, and a footballing magician who seems only to need one foot. Leading up to Christmas, ESPN will name its top 10 sports personalities of the year in ascending order...

There's still no major title on his CV, but in 2011 Luke Donald earned himself a place in history by becoming the first player to win the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic in the same year.

Donald held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy - not the guy you want breathing down your neck - at the Dubai World Championship to claim the Race to Dubai crown in December, a triumph he dedicated to his father, who died unexpectedly weeks before.

He played 13 events on the European Tour, far less than most of his challengers, yet still won by €1.3m; the next highest man to have played 13 or less was Sergio Garcia, who was €3.4m back in eighth.

So how was the Race to Dubai clinched? Well, with unfaltering consistency. Donald won three events which counted to the tally: the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, the BMW PGA Championship and the Scottish Open - and he also finished in the top ten at ten of 13 tournaments. Not bad for a player who, before the Madrid Masters in 2010, had gone six years without lifting a European Tour trophy.

Over on the PGA Tour, he needed to win the last event of the season to finish as the leading money-winner. It didn't look likely before he'd played a single hole; after 54, when he was five strokes off the lead, it seemed impossible.

Yet nothing was going to stand in Donald's way: he fired a faultless 64 and won by two strokes - a ruthless win that, more than anything else, silenced the critics who suggested he wasn't worthy of the world No. 1 position, which he reached in May.

The secret to Donald's success was his terrific short game - in an era where power players are everywhere, it was a boost to the purist to see the Englishman faring so well. He was no more than average off the tee - tied for 127th alongside Alex Cejka in the total driving stats on the PGA Tour - but his putting and scrambling were unparalleled.

The only thing missing is that elusive major crown, and his performances at the year's most prestigious events will be a source of concern. He was tied fourth and eighth at the Masters and US PGA respectively - but way down in 45th at the US Open and, most disappointingly of all, missed the cut at the Open Championship.

That is the area he must improve in 2012 - and he knows it. "This has been a great year," he said. "But I feel there are ways to improve. I have done everything but win a major, and I'm excited about 2012 - to bring these experiences to the majors."

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Josh Williams is an assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk