Donald hopes to bloom like Rose

Luke Donald hopes it will be soon be his turn to win a major championship after watching from close quarters as Justin Rose did so in the US Open last month.

Rose and Donald played the final round at Merion together after starting the day two shots off the lead held by Phil Mickelson, with Rose claiming the title thanks to a closing 70.

Donald’s challenge began to unravel when his tee shot on the par-three third hit a female volunteer, a bogey there contributing to a front nine of 42 that could not be repaired by a homeward nine of 33.

But the 35-year-old has taken heart from Rose’s win and that of Adam Scott at the Masters in April as he continues his preparation for the Open Championship at Muirfield in the Alstom Open de France.

“You always walk away disappointed when you have a chance, but at the same time I left with a lot of encouragement,” Donald told a pre-tournament press conference at Le Golf National, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2018.

“It’s the first time I put myself in a position at the US Open to contend. There were certainly a lot of benefits in just seeing Adam win at Augusta, seeing Justin win at the US Open; guys that have a similar career path to me in terms of winning a World Golf Championship or two and winning a bunch of tournaments on their resume.

“I think it gives me certainly hope that hopefully my turn is coming soon. I think I’m starting to put myself in better positions.

“I’ve played a lot of golf with Justin, from when he was 14 to now, and seeing the highs and lows that he’s gone through – I respect Justin because he works hard at his game. He’s diligent and he puts a lot of effort in, and it was good to see him win.”

World number eight Donald was among the early starters in Paris alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter and France’s Raphael Jacquelin, with the other members of the top 10 – Matt Kuchar and Graeme McDowell – out in the afternoon.