Donald teams up with veteran coach chuck cook

After fuelling his surge to world #1 with a change of caddy in 2010, Luke Donald has made another change to his highly stable backroom staff with the appointment of veteran swing coach Chuck Cook.

After working with Pat Goss (Donald’s college coach) for over 15 years, the move is the most significant for Donald since his professional split from his brother and caddy Christian Donald in 2010.

“Outside of telling my brother [Christian] I didn’t want him to caddie for me any more, it was probably the toughest decision I’ve had to make,” he said. “I got to No 1 with Pat and would never take anything away from what we did. But as a player you know what you feel inside, and I want to just feel more in control of my ball.”

Donald acknowledges the alterations are radical. Chuck is trying to take the “flip out of my swing” and “use my bigger muscles more”. In short, that means less wrist and more turn. “I’ve come to realise that majors require a different philosophy,” he said. “Most weeks the best putter wins; but majors are an exception.
“It is different to what I did before and it will take time,” he said. “But I’m a fast learner.”

Donald will retain Goss for his famed putting and chipping advice and the pair remain on good terms.

The 68-year-old Cook has a CV boasting six majors won collectively by Payne Stewart, Corey Pavin, Mark Brooks and Tom Kite in the Nineties. But it is Cook’s effect on Dufner which has been most impressive. Dufner was ranked outside the world’s top 650 when he joined Cook five years ago.