Donald regains world No 1 spot after play-off joy in Florida

The Englishman needed a win in Florida to reclaim top spot from Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy – and he did just that by holding his nerve to win a four-man play-off.

Robert Garrigus, Jim Furyk and Sang-Moon Bae were the players edged out by Donald after the quartet had finished the fourth round on 13-under par.

A run of five birdies in the first 11 holes yesterday moved Donald into contention, before he consolidated with seven successive pars to land a 16th top-ten finish in his last 22 events.

Donald’s victory made it three European victories in a row in America after McIlroy triumphed at the Honda Classic and Justin Rose did likewise at the Cadillac Championship.

Donald admitted the win was a morale booster ahead of the Masters. He said: “I feel like I’ve achieved a lot in my career but this is perfect preparation. I’ve got two weeks off now and can look forward to Augusta.

“I certainly was a lot more nervous about getting to number one the first time. This time it wasn’t my focus – I was focused on winning the tournament and it all worked out.”

McIlroy was quick to praise the Englishman, saying on Twitter: “Well I enjoyed it while it lasted! Congrats @LukeDonald! Impressive performance!”