Sunday 28 May 2017 14:09, UK
Luke Donald put a brave face on a disappointing performance at the BMW PGA Championship after finishing way down the field on 12-over par following a closing 76.
Donald arrived at Wentworth on the back of three straight missed cuts on the PGA Tour, but he did at least make it to the weekend after atoning for a first-round 75 with an encouraging four-under 68 on Friday.
But any hopes of becoming a three-time champion at European Tour headquarters vanished when he stumbled to an 81 in round three, and admitted his errant driving had been mostly to blame.
"There were a lot of positives in the second round but I really struggled in the third round," said Donald, winner in 2011 and 2012. "My driving got me in trouble a few times and from there I'm sort of playing defence. You try and draw the positives and move on to the next week but obviously I'd have liked to have played a bit better, especially on Saturday.
"But we always get great support here and the fans got their money's worth because they got to see a lot of my shots," added Donald, who insists his runner-up finish at The Heritage last month proved his game is close to coming together.
"The Heritage wasn't too long ago so the game isn't very far away and I'll try and grind all the positives I can from each week," he said. "You have to just try and find the positives in everything. You find some little things and try and build on that, keep grinding, keep persevering and wait until things click.
"I want to qualify for the US Open, get in the majors and get back in the top 50 of the world. I need to compete and contend and try and get back in the winners' circle. I'm getting on a bit golfing-wise but I've got a lot of desire. I still think I've got some good years left in me."
