LONDON (Reuters) – If the old adage about ‘reaping what you sow’ is as true in golf as it is in everyday life, a breakthrough major championship victory should be just around the corner for Britain’s Luke Donald.

Ever since he went to the summit of the rankings by beating European Ryder Cup team mate Lee Westwood in a playoff in the PGA Championship at Wentworth 12 months ago, the 34-year-old has been the dominant player in world golf.

Donald spent an uninterrupted 40 weeks as number one and, after relinquishing top spot to Rory McIlroy for a couple of brief spells this year, he grabbed it back with a seemingly effortless four-shot win back at the PGA event on Sunday.

“There’s something sweet about going 12 months and still being number one,” the Englishman told reporters after lifting the trophy and a first prize of 750,000 euros ($938,400) at the European Tour’s flagship event.

“I am very proud of that. It is an indication I am doing the right things and my game is improving.”

Donald ruled world golf last year, winning four times and becoming the first player to finish top of the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic.

He started this season slowly but a win at the Transitions Championship in Florida in March put him back on track and an almost error-free display on Sunday hinted he could be about to enjoy just as dominant a 2012 as he did in 2011.

VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) – Justin Rose may have been his title rival on Sunday, but double PGA Championship winner Luke Donald has a vision of the duo being paired together at the Ryder Cup in Illinois in September.

“I think we would make a good partnership in fourballs or foursomes,” Donald told reporters at Wentworth, after landing the coveted PGA title for the second year in a row with a closing 68 for 273, 15 under par.

“Justin is a solid player and I don’t have any doubts he’ll be in the team. I think captain Jose Maria Olazabal is going to have the satisfaction of having a lot of people to pick from, and that’s always a good thing.”

Donald compared the attributes of Rose, the world number 10, to those of third-ranked Lee Westwood.

“Justin has the game to win a U.S. Open for sure,” he said of his fellow Englishman. “He hits it very good off the tee and has a similar kind of game to Lee.

“He strikes it solid and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. I’m sure he’s working on just getting a little bit better on the greens, but he’s certainly making big strides in that area too.

“I see a lot of great things coming from Justin.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 27 (Reuters) – Briton Luke Donald went to the top of the world rankings for the fourth time in 12 months after strolling to a seemingly effortless four-stroke victory in the PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Englishman took over from Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy at the summit after shooting a four-under 68 for a 15-under tally of 273 at the European Tour’s flagship event.

World number 10 Justin Rose (70), partnering countryman Donald in the final round, missed a succession of birdie chances and had to settle for a share of second place with 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie (66) on 277.

Ireland’s Peter Lawrie (71) finished in fourth position on 280.

“I thought my win here last year was going to be hard to top, but I really enjoyed the walk down the 18th with a four-shot lead,” said Donald at the prize-giving ceremony.

“This is the biggest event we play on the European Tour and I managed to play a solid back nine to keep Justin and Paul at bay.”

Donald, who retained the PGA title he won for the first time last year in a playoff with Lee Westwood, became only the third player to win the trophy in back-to-back years after Nick Faldo (1980-81) and Colin Montgomerie (1998-1999-2000).

VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 27 (Reuters) – Record-breaking Italian Matteo Manassero approves of the latest changes made to the West Course at Wentworth, but believes more adjustments are still needed at the PGA Championship venue.

Ernie Els was on the receiving end of a storm of criticism two years ago, when many of the players said his redesigned layout was too tough.

The 42-year-old South African has continued to make adjustments to the course over the past 12 months and Manassero said he was in favour of the majority of the changes.

“Everybody has got a bit to say about the course and that’s the same at every venue we play, but I think 90 percent of the holes are great here,” the 19-year-old told Reuters in an interview after shooting a 71 for 291, three over par, on Sunday.

“I don’t think they’ve got the 12th right yet,” added Manassero, twice a winner on the European Tour already. “It was too difficult playing as a par-four last year and it’s been too easy as a 531-yard par-five this week.

“My playing partner Danny Willett hit a nine-iron into the green there and it’s like giving a shot to the whole field. They could put the tee back and that would make it more interesting as a par-five, or stick with it as a par-four, but with a softer green.

“The par-five 17th has always been the way it is, but that’s also not a very fair tee shot from the back tees. I think that hole should be played from the front tee.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) – Title holder Luke Donald prompted cries of ‘Luke, Luke’ after cajoling a 15-foot birdie putt into the cup at the 18th to open a two-stroke lead after the PGA Championship third round on Saturday.

The world number two, who needs to finish eighth on his own to take over from Rory McIlroy at the top of the rankings, was at his scrambling best to return a three-under-par 69 for an 11-under 205 total as gusts up to 40-kph swirled around Wentworth.

“That was by far my best round of the week,” Donald told reporters. “The course is not geared towards a bombing long-hitter, it’s geared towards someone who can work the ball around.

“I went for a run at nine o’clock this morning and it was blowing then so I knew it was going to be tough today.”

Fellow Briton Justin Rose claimed second spot on 207 after another 69, two ahead of Irishman Peter Lawrie (72).

Course designer Ernie Els was on the fringes of contention in joint fourth on 211 alongside fellow South Africans Branden Grace and Richard Sterne and 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie.

A scorching sun shone throughout the day at the European Tour’s flagship event but only a handful of players managed to break par as the wind sent scores soaring.

VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) – Title holder Luke Donald prompted cries of ‘Luke, Luke’ after cajoling a 15-foot birdie putt into the cup at the 18th to open a two-stroke lead after the PGA Championship third round on Saturday.

The world number two, who needs to finish eighth on his own to take over from Rory McIlroy at the top of the rankings, was at his scrambling best to return a three-under-par 69 for an 11-under 205 total as gusts up to 40-kph swirled around Wentworth.

Fellow Briton Justin Rose claimed second spot on 207 after another 69, two ahead of Irishman Peter Lawrie (72).

Course designer Ernie Els was on the fringes of contention in joint fourth on 211 with fellow South Africans Branden Grace and Richard Sterne and 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie.

A scorching sun shone throughout the day at the European Tour’s flagship event but only a handful of players managed to break par as the wind sent scores soaring.

Donald picked up three birdies in a flawless performance over the first 14 holes.

Calamity then beckoned at the 15th when, using his bright white driver, he sent his tee shot wildly left into the trees.

VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) – Course designer Ernie Els let rip at Wentworth’s greenkeeping staff and PGA Championship officials on Saturday after shrugging off tricky conditions to move to the fringes of contention.

The 42-year-old South African’s ire was raised after he hit an excellent four-iron approach shot at the par-five 18th and the ball bounded through the green into a deep bunker.

“I landed my second probably five yards too far,” Els told reporters after shooting a two-under-par 70 for a five-under aggregate of 211.

“How much money did we spend on the 18th? We built a dam there. Why the hell was the green not holding?

“My point is, you hit a driver and then a four-iron gets you in the middle of the green. What else must you do next? Must I be the greenkeeper here?,” Els fumed.

“I’m a player, I’m not even supposed to tell them. Put water on a damn golf course? Surely they should know that? I can’t control the wind and (it seems) I can’t control the greens staff either.”

The sun shone all day at the tree-lined West Course but only a handful of players managed to break par as winds gusting up to 40-kph sent scores soaring.

VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) – Lee Westwood’s up and down display in Saturday’s third round summed up the world number three’s wildly fluctuating week at the PGA Championship.

The former European number one fired his second two-under-par 70 of the tournament but a three-over 75 sandwiched inbetween has stymied his bid to make a move on the players at the top of the leaderboard.

Westwood said he had been fighting a hook throughout the event and had missed too many short putts.

“I’m just hitting a bit of a pull now and again which is destroying me,” the 39-year-old Englishman told reporters after finishing on one-under-par 215 following a day of swirling 40-kph winds at a sun-baked Wentworth.

“It’s my bad shot when I’m not swinging very well and I’m not swinging very well at the moment. It’s a case of doing a bit more practice.

“I’m a bit tired. I’ve played a lot this year already and there’s been a lot of going backwards and forwards (across the Atlantic).”

Several times one of the bridesmaids and never yet the bride in major championships, Westwood has once again been haunted by a cold putter at the European Tour’s flagship event.

VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 26 (Reuters) – Lee Westwood’s up and down display in Saturday’s third round summed up the world number three’s wildly fluctuating week at the PGA Championship.

The former European number one fired his second two-under-par 70 of the tournament but a three-over 75 sandwiched inbetween has stymied his bid to make a move on the players at the top of the leaderboard.

Westwood said he had been fighting a hook throughout the event and had missed too many short putts.

“I’m just hitting a bit of a pull now and again which is destroying me,” the 39-year-old Englishman told reporters after finishing on one-under-par 215 following a day of swirling 40-kph winds at a sun-baked Wentworth.

“It’s my bad shot when I’m not swinging very well and I’m not swinging very well at the moment. It’s a case of doing a bit more practice.

“I’m a bit tired. I’ve played a lot this year already and there’s been a lot of going backwards and forwards (across the Atlantic).”

Several times one of the bridesmaids and never yet the bride in major championships, Westwood has once again been haunted by a cold putter at the European Tour’s flagship event.

VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) – Former British Open champion Ben Curtis’s 35th birthday celebrations on Saturday were somewhat muted after ending his PGA Championship third round with two triple-bogey eights to slump to an 81.

The American came badly unstuck in winds gusting up to 40-kph at Wentworth, going out of bounds at the two par-five closing holes to finish on 10-over 226 at the European Tour’s flagship event.

“I’ve been hitting it badly all week,” Curtis told Reuters in an interview on another glorious summer’s day on the outskirts of London.

“Today I didn’t know where it was going and when you get out of whack with the way this wind is, it’s easy to hit some real bad shots,” he said after ballooning to a seven-over 44 on the back nine.

Curtis has been in sparkling form on the U.S. Tour and won for the first time in six years when he triumphed at the Texas Open last month. But his game unravelled in spectacular fashion at the 17th and 18th on Saturday.

“On 17 I hit it right and was up against a tree root, the ball popped up and went in the fairway,” he explained. “I tried to hit it up by the green but snap hooked it left.

“At the 18th I pushed my drive right again, the wind grabbed it and took it into the trees … and then I three-putted on the green.”