Sky Sports Golf pundit Gary Christian believes that once Brandon Grace came in at nine under par, everyone else was just fighting for second place.
Christian told Sky Sports: “Luke Donald led after 54 holes on one of his favourite tracks, but he looked a little uncertain at times during his final-round 71 and finished two behind Grace. Maybe that was down to Luke not having been in that situation for some time. When you haven’t contended on the PGA Tour for that length of time, it doesn’t matter who you are – there’s going to be an element of doubt when you’re trying to get over the line.
“And when your swing is based on rhythm and tempo like Luke’s is, it makes it that much more difficult to maintain down the stretch. He didn’t hit the ball as well as he could on Sunday, but he hung in there and a tie for second place will do his confidence the world of good.
“Luke kept scrambling pars to keep himself in contention, but once Grace was in the clubhouse on nine under, everyone else was effectively playing for second. Luke managed to grind it out despite not being at his best, and that result will go a long way to helping him climb back up the world rankings.
“His chipping and putting were in good order, and he will take a lot of positives out of the week. There’s nothing like contending for titles on the PGA Tour, and Luke will be better prepared for next time he’s right in the mix. The challenge for him now is to keep that momentum going over the next few weeks, and this could be a big turning point in his career.”
