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Donald: I'm ready to win a major

Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are both chasing their maiden major © PA Photos

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Luke Donald believes he is closing in on his first major after finishing in a tie for fifth at The Open.

The world No. 1, who missed the cut at last month's US Open, shot a 69 to finish on two-under, five strokes behind champion Ernie Els. Although his wait for a major title continues, Donald is confident it is only a matter of time before he breaks his duck.

"I'll leave this week knowing that my game is definitely good enough to win majors," Donald said. "It's a big step forward for me from a few weeks back, at the US Open.

"I think it would be fantastic to win one here. Even being somewhat in contention, having the crowd really behind me, was a special feeling. I was certainly very anxious and didn't do a good job on the mental side but this week was a huge improvement and I will use that going forward."

Despite boasting three players in the world's top ten, England has not seen a major winner since Nick Faldo in 1996. World No. 4 Lee Westwood finished well off the pace on six-over par, but is hopeful his decision to move to America later this year will pay off.

"I'm not doing it merely for the sake of it," he said. "I think playing over there on their courses all the time, with those kind of practice facilities and the right kind of weather, should have a big effect considering three of the four majors are played there.

"We've been thinking about it for a couple of years. I've felt pretty calm in the majors. I've had a lot of good chances and nearly won quite a few."

Former world No. 1 Westwood has slipped one place in the world rankings after Tiger Woods moved up to second following his third-placed finish at Royal Lytham.

World Rankings: 1. Luke Donald (ENG), 2. Tiger Woods (USA), 3. Rory McIlroy (NIR), 4. Lee Westwood (ENG), 5. Webb Simpson (USA), 6. Adam Scott (AUS), 7. Bubba Watson (USA), 8. Jason Dufner (USA), 9. Matt Kuchar (USA), 10. Justin Rose (ENG), 11. Graeme McDowell (NIR), 12. Zach Johnson (USA), 13. Hunter Mahan (USA), 14. Steve Stricker (USA), 15. Ernie Els (SAF), 16. Dustin Johnson (USA), 17. Phil Mickelson (USA), 18. Martin Kaymer (GER), 19. Louis Oosthuizen (SAF), 20. Rickie Fowler (USA)

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