Donald tips Euro stars to make their mark

Former world number one Luke Donald believes mental toughness will be key to victory at this week’s Masters as Europe’s 28-strong contingent bid to end a 14-year drought.

European players enjoyed enormous success at Augusta at the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s, recording eight wins between 1988 and 1999 and seven out of nine between Sandy Lyle’s triumph in 1988 and Nick Faldo’s third title in 1996. However, the last European player to don the famous Green Jacket is Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, despite the likes of Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy all being world number one in the last three years.

“Does it surprise me? Nothing surprises me in golf anymore,” Donald said, asked about the barren run.