Luke and caddie brother Christian at Augusta
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Both Mizuno and Golfmagic were delighted by the response to our competition to
ask Luke Donald a question that might both stimulate the World No.11 on a forthcoming Blog and help build a relationship between our members and Britain's top golfer.
The questions were far reaching and poignant and as well as the winning quartet we hope over the coming weeks to put Luke to the sword to answer as many as possible.
For the moment, however, he's competing at Doral this week at the World Golf Championship CA event in Florida and at the end of the month heads to Augusta National (April 2-5) in a bid to improve on his third spot in the US Masters in 2005.
The overall winner of our competition is Joe Burroughes, a 38-year-old solicitor from Attleborough in Norfolk and a five handicap member of Eaton Golf Club in Norwich. He wins a Bettinardi C04 putter by Mizuno.
Knowing Luke, studied art theory and practice at Northwestern University in Chicago, he asks:'What gives you most satisfaction, your painting or your golf? If you could paint just one golfer, on one hole, on any course in the world, who would it be, and where?'
Says Joe, desperate to regain his four handicap status: "I have been playing for around 16 years (I got a half set of clubs for my 21st birthday) but have been competing more seriously for the last 10 years. I'm hopeless at all other forms of sport, with the exception of darts but something about golf just seemed to click and now I'm hopelessly addicted. Fatherhood has slowed me down from about 100 rounds a year and now I play once a week, at best.
Apart from winning this Golfmagic prize, his golfing highlights, he says, are: shooting 67 (3 under
par) to win a club trophy for the lowest competitive round (2004) , recording 65 in social round a few weeks later and representing his club in the county foursomes.
Inset: Winner Joe Burroughes .
Look out for another chance to win a Bettinardi putter, as used by Luke Donald
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Our three runners-up are David Williams from Gillingham ('How many combinations of head/shaft/grip do you have to try on for example, on the MP-67s, before you find the perfect combination and what are the major factors for you in deciding what works best?), Rich Wildsmith from Barnsley( 'As a multiple winner on Tour and ( and millionaiire)- what is your favourite indulgence?') and Andrew Rose from Armadale, West Lothian ('How similar are the feelings you experienced between your first ever professional tournament victory and your 2006 success? Does victory mean differentthings now and is the excitement diminished?').
Each wins a Mizuno Skintite glove, as used by Luke on Tour.
David (47) is an IT project manager for Medway Council and is a 20 heandicap member at Deangate Ridge Golf Club.
"I took up the game three years ago but I haven't been to get as low as my dad, who's 70 and plays off 15 handicap in australia, " he says.
Richard (34) is an advisor with the Royal Mail Group and plays off 5 at Sandhill GC and has established many Golfmagic friends through the forum and organised an All Blacks Challenge in freezing conditions at Staverton Park last year for 20 members.
"I also represented the victorious GM International team in a challenge match at Greetham Valley in 2005 - qualifying as a late replacement because I owned a foreign car!"
We have forwarded a list of other likely questions from the forum for Luke to consider for future Diaries, so keep an eye on his column, you may get a mention.
And look out, too, for another chance to win a Bettinardi putter, courtesy of Mizuno and Golfmagic.com during our countdown to the US Masters.
