Dec. 14, 2011

Donald's PGA TOUR bio including Video

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern graduate Luke Donald has been voted the PGA TOUR Player of the Year for the 2011 season by a vote of the TOUR's membership, the PGA TOUR announced Tuesday.

In addition to Donald, the PGA TOUR also announced Keegan Bradley as its 2011 Rookie of the Year. "On behalf of the PGA TOUR, my congratulations to Luke and Keegan for their award-winning accomplishments in 2011," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem in a release. "Both players had significant and impressive performances throughout the course of the year, and the member vote reflects the respect their peers have for them."

Donald, who turned 34 on Dec. 7, is the first player from England to be voted Player of the Year since the award's inception in 1990.

Donald won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in 2011. He never trailed in any of his six matches at the Accenture Match Play Championship, including a 3&2 finals victory over Martin Kaymer. Donald's win in his final start of the year at the Children's Miracle Network Classic clinched the money title with $6,683,214, earning him the Arnold Palmer Award. He also wrapped up the Byron Nelson Trophy and Vardon Award for lowest adjusted scoring average (68.86).

"Obviously this year has been a breakout year for me in terms of my confidence levels, and hopefully those confidence levels will be carried over to next year and will serve me well in the majors," Donald told PGATOUR.com. "I think before this year I've been a good player and a consistent player but never really a great player, and obviously this year has been really a big step for me in terms of my mental side and the way I approach tournaments and how I feel about them.

Currently No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Donald led the PGA TOUR with 14 top-10 finishes in 19 starts with runner-up finishes the RBC Heritage (playoff) and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (T2). For the second consecutive year, Donald finished third in the season-long FedExCup competition, posting top-five finishes in three of the four PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup events.

Donald, who will receive the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as Player of the Year, was selected over Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson and Nick Watney.

Donald also found success on the European Tour, winning the Race to Dubai Trophy to become the first player in history to officially capture money titles on both sides of the Atlantic. He also was presented with the Genworth Excellence Award, which is given to the European Tour player with the best statistical excellence in a season as voted on by the media.

Information from an official PGA TOUR release was used in this release.

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