Donald battles for number one berth at Masters as McIlroy struggles

Luke Donald tried to pick himself up and fight for his world number one spot in the final round of The Masters at Augusta today.

A third-round 75 – all the more disappointing because he had pitched in for eagle on the third hole – had left Donald down in 52nd place and 16 strokes behind surprise leader Peter Hanson.

“There is nothing worse than waking up on Sunday knowing that whatever you do it is not going to be good enough,” said the 34-year-old, although that ignored his battle to stay atop the world rankings.

Donald, playing his 35th major and yet to win one, was battling to stay ahead of Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood at the top of the rankings, and their Saturday struggles had at least improved his chances of extending his second reign.

If Donald climbed to 40th position, McIlroy had to finish in the top 20 to become number one again after his 77 had seen him slump from joint third to 27th.

Westwood had rallied for a 72 to be in a tie for sixth, five adrift of Hanson, but he had to win just to have a chance of regaining top spot.

Driving into a bunker on the long second obviously did not help Donald’s cause, but his pitch caught a ridge exactly as he planned and rolled back down to seven feet.

He made the birdie putt and remained one under for the par after six holes.

Hanson’s brilliant 65, the low round of the week, had given himself the chance to become the first Swede to win a major, but he had three-time champion Phil Mickelson right on his heels and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen was only two back in third.

As for Tiger Woods, he teed off again in 38th on three over and needed to move up 17 places just to avoid it being his worst Masters as a professional.

Donald added further birdies on the seventh and long eighth to turn in 33 and was up to 43rd on four over - and McIlroy was only two strokes ahead of him after three-putting the first.

The hole was certainly not the 22-year-old’s favourite. He double-bogeyed it in the first and third rounds.

McIlroy found himself with Ryder Cup partner and predecessor as US Open champion Graeme McDowell, but he also dropped a shot straightaway after driving into the right-hand trees.

Woods grabbed his first birdie on the 575-yard second, just missing the green to the right and using one of his fairway woods to bump the ball down to three feet.

He and McIlroy were both 33rd, locked together as many thought they would be, but not in the position expected of the two pre-tournament favourites.