US Open: Luke Donald hopes to make first challenge at Merion
Luke Donald would have preferred a firmer US Open at Merion but still thinks he has a chance of finally challenging.
Last Updated: 11/06/13 9:14pm
Donald has never finished in the top 10 in the US Open but with Merion's East Course measuring just 6,996 yards this was seen as his best chance yet with him being one of the shorter hitters on Tour.
Donald's best finish in the year's second major championship is a tie for 12th at Winged Foot in 2006, while he has missed the cut in two of the last four years.
Still, Donald will only need to hit deriver about five times per round at Merion, and although he would like to see it a bit firmer he is hopefully of a big week.
"Usually success in the US Open comes from hitting fairways and greens but my game is really from the green backwards," Donald said. "This year I have made a conscious effort to change that to get a little bit more control, to work some things around, spending a little bit more time on the range working on really solidifying a few things.
Stats
"It hasn't happened yet, but statistics will show I've improved in those areas and I'll be starting to hit more greens, having more control of my ball flight. And that's what you need out here to be successful.
"I would like to have seen it firmer. I think wetter, damper conditions bring more of the field in play. But certainly a course where I'm only hitting five drivers, a course where I'm hitting a lot of wedges, playing to my strengths. I feel like from a hundred yards in I'm pretty good.
"This course demands a lot of good wedge play. Obviously you've still got to do what's pretty important in US Opens, hit fairways, hit greens. That will be a big key for me if I want to be successful."
Despite being the shortest major course since 2001, Merion will have some severe rough in operation, so the game plan will still be to keep it on the fairway.
"A lot of guys will still maintain their game plan of trying to hit fairways. It's still a US Open," Donald added. "Obviously we saw in wetter conditions that you can go low, Rory proved that a couple of years ago.
"But there will still be most people will be trying to hit fairways, trying to hit greens. It's still a US Open. It's still tough. The rough is nasty.
Nasty
"You want to stay away from it. But softer greens, it just makes everything a little bit more attackable. Firm, fast greens are a golf course's best defence.
Donald has already sampled the rough during practice last week, and with rain making it even thicker, it will mean players just hacking out most of the time.
"It was pretty thick and gnarly last week. I don't think I got one lie in the rough where I could get more of a seven or eight iron out of it.
"With the rain we've had, I believe the greens staff haven't been able to cut it because of all the rain we've had. I'm sure it's longer, thicker. Those seven or eight iron are going to become wedges.
"So it's going to be important to keep it in the fairway because I don't think you're going to be able to get to the green from there."
