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Will Luke Donald regain his form?

wadesworld

wadesworld

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After holding the #1 world ranking for a while and being a constant fixture in the top ten of most tournaments, Luke has really fallen off the map. I know he struggled with a wrist injury for a bit, tried a new coach and now has gone back to Pat Goss.

Due to his lack of length, I think it unlikely Luke will ever be in the #1 spot again, but what do you think about his chances to regain his form? Can he win 2 or more events a year on the PGA Tour and go back to being a Ryder Cup team member?
 
wadesworld said:
After holding the #1 world ranking for a while and being a constant fixture in the top ten of most tournaments, Luke has really fallen off the map. I know he struggled with a wrist injury for a bit, tried a new coach and now has gone back to Pat Goss.

Due to his lack of length, I think it unlikely Luke will ever be in the #1 spot again, but what do you think about his chances to regain his form? Can he win 2 or more events a year on the PGA Tour and go back to being a Ryder Cup team member?
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I say yes.
 
I sure hope so, I picked him in my year long fantasy league. The upside was too good to pass on.
 
He's only won 2 events in a year once on the PGA Tour so I say no. Ryder Cup member, without a doubt. Don't forget this is a guy who became number 1, not by racking up wins on the pga tour, but by having consistently high finishes.
 
I just don't think so, but who knows he could prove me wrong!
 
ddec said:
He's only won 2 events in a year once on the PGA Tour so I say no. Ryder Cup member, without a doubt. Don't forget this is a guy who became number 1, not by racking up wins on the pga tour, but by having consistently high finishes.
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Well, consistently finishing high what I was getting at, so maybe "2 or more" is too high of a bar to set. But if he can get back on the Ryder cup team, he'll certainly have a lot of high finishes to show for it.
 
I've always been a Donald fan, so I hope he does. But, I think it's less likely.
 
I'd like to think so but some of these shorter hitters really get their wheels wrapped around the axle when they switch coaches and try to pick up yardage gains.
 
I like Luke and wish him much success. I'm thinking one win right now would fire him up and hopefully get him back on track.
 
I saw an event recently and they mentioned him being number 1 at a time. I completely forgot abut that. I think he is going to continue to fall and will be an after thought in any events he enters.
 
I'm not sure why he ever ascended to #1 in the world..it absolute killed his game. Imo, I reached the top and it crushed game. I don't think he will regain what form he had. Not sure that form was worthy of the world's best.
 
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I think Luke will get it back to being a top 20ish golfer and making the Ryder Cup. His strength has always been his short game and that will bring him back. His weakness the last 2 years has been too many loose shots off the tee and putting Luke will never be a long hitter, but neither is Kuch.
 
Golf is a fickle game and the depth on tour is better than ever so I don't like his chances to getting back to top 30 in the world. Just ask Tiger. He certainly didn't think he would stop winning majors 7 years ago at the age of 32.
 
I really hope so. Always enjoyed watching Luke at the top of his game, the short game was a master piece.
 
Regain his form? No. To me he's doing what Kaymer did and we all saw how that worked out. It blows my mind that a world #1 would go ahead and try change their game in the first place? I know he apparently did it so he could better compete in majors but I can't see it working based on form so far.
 
SaffaClint said:
Regain his form? No. To me he's doing what Kaymer did and we all saw how that worked out. It blows my mind that a world #1 would go ahead and try change their game in the first place? I know he apparently did it so he could better compete in majors but I can't see it working based on form so far.
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Winning the US Open?
 
Don't think he gets back to chasing down the number 1 spot but I think he gets back to winning a tournament a year and competing each week. He is going back to his old teacher. I like look and like the fact he choose Chicago as a place to settle down on this side of the pond
 
Luke seemed to always just hang.. Never exceptional, and I'm sure that's on account of a few things.

In today's game, it's tough. You're either overachieving and brilliant, or fighting to stay in the pack.
 
He’s a guy I’m always rooting for. I like his character, and I like the basics of his game. One might say that his quest for distance was a dumb thing to do, and to a certain extent I agree, but he who does not advance goes backwards.

I think he’ll play better than he did in the last couple of years, but I don’t think he’ll win two events, and he won’t even get close to the number 1 spot. He’ll be a regular in the top-10, and I think he should be able to make the Ryder Cup if he does that.
 
Golf Ghost said:
Winning the US Open?
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Wow! Kaymer won the U.S OPEN after giving up on trying to change his swing and going back to what had worked previously.
 
SaffaClint said:
Wow! Kaymer won the U.S OPEN after giving up on trying to change his swing and going back to what had worked previously.
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He didn't completely give up on the change. He's mentioned in various interviews that he is comfortable working the ball both ways now, something he want never able to do with his old swing.
 
I know the focus is on his long game, but even when playing his best, that was never a strong suit. In 2014, he had very poor stats in wedge approaches and most short game categories. Could be an effect of spending time on a swing change and not enough left for the short game? If that part of his game does not return, he will never be an elite player again.
 
Not sure he can regain a top 10 in the world right now or ever again. So many good young players out there who not only bomb it but have great short games too. Maybe if he switches to some Callaway XR Pro's he would do better!
 
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