Donald ‘chuffed to bits’ with MBE

Royal honour is small consolation for Englishman after US Open woe

By royal appointment: Luke Donald, who missed the cut at the US Open, has been made an MBE

Luke Donald might have missed the cut at the US Open to prolong his search for a maiden major title. However, the world No.1 was able to find some consolation after a disappointing week at the Olympic Club – an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Donald, 34, shot rounds of 79 and 72 to finish 11-over-par and outside the cut line in the second major of the season. He managed just three birdies in 36 holes in his 38th major start.

However, the news from Buckingham Palace brightened his mood somewhat after a testing week in San Francisco.

“Hugely disappointing week for me, but as they say it’s not how many times you get knocked down but how many times you get up,” tweeted Donald after his second round. “I’ll continue to work hard to try and keep getting better, it’s the only way I know.”

He then joked: “Chuffed to bits about the MBE, cheers for all the messages. I better start playing better in the majors otherwise they might take it away.”

Donald received his gong for services to golf and on the back of a stunning year, which saw him climb to the top of the world rankings – a position he has since exchanged three times with Rory McIlroy – become the first player to officially win the money list on both the European and PGA Tours in the same year, and rack up five titles on both sides of the Atlantic.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered