England has produced a couple of challengers to challenge for the number one throne in golf and stand up to the American golfers particularly Tiger Woods and the flag bearer of that English challenge, Luke Donald, is now busy preparing for the BMW PGA Championship which takes place in a week’s time. But the former world number one took a break from his search for a three-peat in the tournament as he dropped by London and the Buckingham Palace to receive one of the biggest honors of his life from the Queen of England.
Donald was conferred with the MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), an honor that is bestowed on civilians as well as service personnel for the service done for the public as well as other distinctions. Luke Donald is someone who is noted for his work as a philanthropist apart from his credentials as one of the greatest golfers in the world. Apart from holding the world number one ranking in the Official Golf World Rankings for a grand total of 55 weeks, the Englishman has also been noted for the service he has done for trusts like First Tree, helping raise millions of dollars for the sport.
Donald released a press statement where he stated that he is extremely pleased to have received such a prestigious honor from Her Majesty, the Queen of England. He went on to add that 2011 and 2012 have been significant years for him, both on a personal and professional point of view and he feels great that his achievements have been recognized and appreciated.
Luke Donald won both the money titles in the PGA Tour as well as the European Tour and won two titles on Tour the following year, although he lost his number one status that year.