• The Open

Donald seeks Faldo's advice in major hunt

Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are both searching for their first major © PA Photos

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Luke Donald has revealed he has turned to six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo for advice in a bid to land his first major at The Open this week.

The world No. 1 is bidding to break his major duck at the 37th attempt at Royal Lytham having missed the cut at last month's US Open.

Donald, who made history last year by becoming the first man to top the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic, has won seven trophies since the beginning of last season, but is yet to translate that form into major success.

This stumbling block has prompted Donald, who has been working with Jonny Wilkinson's former kicking coach Dave Alred, to tap into three-time Open champion Faldo's experience, and he is ready to put Faldo's theories into practice when he tees off on Thursday.

"I've no ego on these matters, I just want to win one," Donald said. "We spoke for a long time about preparation and being meticulous, but for me it is now all about getting into a relaxed attitude and letting it happen," said Donald. "Nick explained that the way he went about it was by playing only shots he was comfortable with and, in a way, I went against that rule at the US Open.

"I don't feel comfortable hitting cut shots but I thought I needed to hit some that week. All I ended up doing was getting my swing into a bad position leading up to the event and playing poorly during it. I suppose I was aware of Nick's approach, but it was nice to hear it coming from one of the guys who has done it and I'll certainly be doing that at Lytham."

Donald, who has also approached 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus for advice, admits his failure to land a major is a mental block and he knows he must treat his first tee-shot at Lytham like any other event.

"I've thought about it a lot," he said. "In the first round of majors it's all about having the right focus and not being too anxious. While that is hard to control, you should be able to figure it out with experience.

"This time I'm trying to treat The Open like it is just another event. I need to have the same mentality on Thursday at Lytham that I had on the first tee in the opening round at the Scottish Open last week. I'm just trying to simplify it and concentrate on nothing more than getting off to a better start than in recent majors."

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