Welshman Jamie returns to Gleneagles to relive the blow that won the 2014 Ryder Cup and he admits: ‘I’ll never get tired of talking about that moment’
JAMIE DONALDSON returned to the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles for the unveiling of a plaque on the 15th fairway from which he struck the blow that won the 2014 Ryder Cup - and he beamed: “I’ll never get tired of talking about that shot.”
Welshman Donaldson sealed a 4&3 win over Keegan Bradley in the Sunday singles – and, and with it, delivered the point required to win the famous gold trophy for a third consecutive match – when he hit a wedge to within a foot of the pin on the 15th from 146 yards.
The shot was subsequently voted the European Tour ‘Shot of the Year’ and has now been immortalised with a commemorative plaque by the Gleneagles Hotel. Returning to the Perthshire resort for its unveiling, Donaldson said: “It brings back great memories, being here, remembering the best year of my career.
“I’ll definitely never get tired of talking about that shot. It was such an amazing moment for me, but more importantly for the team. Everyone had put so much effort into that week, so it was nice to get our just rewards at the end of it. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better finale.
“It will be with me for the rest of my life. It was a very proud moment.”
Adding that he hasn’t watched the shot ‘that many times’ since he struck it last September, Donaldson laughed: “I haven’t got it on loop or anything. But obviously it was on a lot over Christmas, wasn’t it? And I had a lot of family over for Christmas.
“I left the sport channel on to watch sport. It just so happened that every time I looked at the TV they had the Ryder Cup on - and all my family were winding me up, thinking I had it on re-run.
“It looks different watching it back. When you’re there, you’re soaking it in and it’s an unbelievable event but you are concentrating on going through your routine to let you win matches. You don’t see it from the outside. So
it’s still a bit ‘out there’ that I hit the winning shot, that I had the privilege to be in the position to hit that shot.”
Reflecting on standing over the shot, Donaldson added: “I just had a perfect number. In those circumstances, that’s all you’re looking for - a number that makes you go, ‘yes, I’ve got the perfect club for that’. If it had been even just a pace further back up the fairway, I’d have been hitting a soft 9-iron or trying to absolutely batter a wedge, so it would have been a completely different shot. As it was, I had the ideal number - with the conditions the way they were that day, slightly downhill and downwind - for a full, smooth wedge.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better shot to have. It was absolutely tailor-made for me, right down to the pin position and my kind of shot-shape. I knew that all I had to do was start it on the right line and, as soon as I hit it, I knew it was good.”
Bernard Murphy, Gleneagles’ managing director, added that it had been an easy decision to celebrate Donaldson’s winning shot with a plaque.
“Being part of such a memorable and exciting Ryder Cup is something which everyone at Gleneagles will treasure, and we’re grateful to Jamie for coming back to help us create a lasting reminder of a momentous week,” he said.
“Perhaps it will provide a little inspiration for those who follow in his footsteps playing the PGA Centenary Course this summer.”
Read the latest issue of UK Club Golfer online
