Could Luke Donald win the FedExCup? Sure. It would be another addition to one of the most diverse resumes on the PGA TOUR.
First, the golf stuff: Donald finished 15th at The Barclays, the opener to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and now finds himself 17th in the FedExCup standings heading to the Deutsche Bank Championship over Labor Day weekend outside of Boston. Most importantly for the purposes of this piece, Donald leads the TOUR in scrambling from the sand, one of the stats a potential FedExCup champion would need to excel in.
Donald has been successful in saving par in 43 of 56 attempts this year on TOUR, a percentage of 76.79, enough for a comfortable cushion over second-place Carl Pettersson, who checks in at 72.57 percent.
And he’ll be playing for Europe in the Ryder Cup in October after earning a captain’s pick from Colin Montgomerie while on the course Sunday at The Barclays.
“It was very anxious moments and obviously there was some relief and very excited to nfl jerseys be back on the team and to be part of the Ryder Cup again,” Donald said after learning of his selection. “I missed it back in 2008 and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”
Now for the non-golf stuff: Donald, an avid painter, earned a degree in art theory and practice at Northwestern. He donated one of his paintings to a PGATOUR.COM auction and the winning bid was $1,640, which was split between PGA TOUR Charities and junior golf charity in Chicago.
What’s more, Donald has his own signature wine.
It all started with a friendship Donald struck at Northwestern with Bill Terlato. Terlato took lessons from Donald’s coach, Pat Goss, who initially suggested the two get together. Depending on which of the three golfers that Terlato jokes inhabit his body comes to play, his handicap is between 0 and 4.
“(My coach) thought it would be good for me to have some good competitive games,” Donald said. “Also, Bill had an interest in sports cars, and so did I. And I knew he had a background in wine, which I was just getting into at the time.”
Terlato liked the soft-spoken Donald, a two-time TOUR winner, immediately.
“He seemed very mature,” Terlato said. “Very respectful. He also had an interest in wine and food, and so, from time to time—I mean, he was a college student—I’d bring some bottles for Patriots jersey him and his friends to taste, and he would tell me what he liked and which wines he preferred.
“That’s how we struck up a friendship. Over the years, we started to play some golf and spend more time together. And the friendship just sort of blossomed.”
Last year, Terlato floated the idea of creating a wine for Donald. He was adamant, however, that he didn’t want a celebrity endorser. Terlato wanted someone who would be involved in the development of the product.
“It was something totally different than anything we’ve ever done,” Terlato said. “We’re developing a food culture in the United States, and so we see this as an opportunity to produce a product that represents his personality, but also targets a younger audience.”
The opportunity to partner with his friend, whose family business is the nation’s No. 1 high-end wine importer by volume, was a no-brainer for Donald.
“I’ve always tried to surround myself with kind of Saints jersey premier brands to elevate my brand,” said Donald, who already has contracts with Polo, Rolex and the Royal Bank of Scotland. “Whenever I’ve done any deals it wasn’t really about chasing money. It’s about situating myself with the right kind of brands. … I guess it’s a kind of lifestyle, in a way.
“Every time I tell people (about the wine) they are very interested, “Oh wow, that sounds pretty cool.” Being involved in the process is what makes it really fun. I don’t want to just open my first bottle of wine and have no idea of what it tastes like. So I’m excited. “
没有评论:
发表评论