US Masters / Ralph Ellis / 25 October 2011 /

Ralph Ellis can't see dual Money List champ Luke Donald winning SPOTY but he likes his chances at The Masters

It wasn't just that Tiger Woods was a winner that made him the biggest sporting star on the planet. It was the way he won. It was flair, panache, daring - driving the ball a million miles and then, just when you thought he was in trouble because his ball was deep among the trees, inventing the most amazing recovery shots. It was how we all wished we could play the game. The "Tiger line" has become an accepted phrase to describe any risky shot on a golf course.

The Woods era is over, and I know we should be celebrating the fact that an Englishman is quietly taking his place at the pinnacle of the world game, but to be honest it's pretty damn difficult. Luke Donald is about as exciting as a wet Wednesday in his home town of Hemel Hempstead. (If you've ever been there you'll know the only scary thing you'll ever do is negotiate the 'magic roundabout' on the edge of town!). He is the king of course management, the star of safety shots.

You can admire him, of course. There just isn't the romance. We amateur golfers know we should take two wedges to go 175 yards across water to the green at the 18th and play to our handicap. But it's so much more fun to have a go at hitting that perfect five iron, that might just make it to the flag, but will probably land in the last yard of the lake.

And if we think that way, we certainly want the game's greats to have the same sort of ambition. Kevin Costner was the star of 'Tin Cup' because he kept trying to carry the water, in his case 230 yards, instead of laying up and winning the US Open the easy way. Co-star Don Johnson's character might have collected the trophy, but who remembers him?

Donald was brilliant on Sunday night, hitting six putts of various lengths that all hit the bottom of the hole for birdies in the back nine on his way to winning the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

Under pressure from Webb Simpson he managed his strategy perfectly, played under pressure, and secured his place at the top of the American money list.

But while a couple of golf writers today reckon that should get him in the running for Sports Personality of the Year, just have a look at the betting. Open champion Darren Clarke, the man who puffs a cigar round the course and drank a gallon of Guinness to celebrate his success, is [3.1] second favourite. Donald is as long as [32.0], and you can lay him at [8.0] even to be in the top three of the voting.

It's shows an amazing lack of recognition by the public, even though he will almost certainly become the first to top the money list on both sides of the Atlantic. He's an unbackable [1.03] to win the Race to Dubai. But the upside is that while as undisputed world number one he should be a tight price to win a Major next year, you can back him as long as [15.5] to win the Masters. That's value when Nick Faldo reckons Donald should be clear favourite because of his incredible consistency on the greens - it's 449 holes this year without ever three-putting.

Incredibly, Tiger, down to 55 in the world and falling, is still the [11.0] second favourite to triumph at Augusta. It just goes to show how much we still want to watch that daring. But it does make Donald a brilliant bet, even if the only exciting thing will be collecting your winnings at the end.

Five things you might not know about Webb Simpson
1. Born August 1985 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and one of six children, he fell in love with golf when his dad Sam used to take him along while he was practising at his local driving range at Landfall Country Club in Wilmington

2. His full name is James Frederick Webb - the first, middle and last names of his mother's father. He has problems at airport security because his tickets are always booked in his playing name, but his passport calls him James.

3. He went to Wake Forest University to take a degree in religious studies - where he met his wife Dowd who was studying theatre. She's now an actress as well as mum to their son James, and a member of the PGA Tour wives' committee.

4. A three time All American, he played on the victorious 2007 Walker Cup team, but didn't make a real breakthrough until college coach Jerry Haas persuaded him to change his grip

5. A committed Christian, he has his favourite biblical verse "Titus 3:3-7" embroidered on the rear of his cap

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