Donald denied world no.1 spot with play-off loss

England’s Luke Donald missed a chance to claim golf’s world no.1 ranking, losing a tension-packed Heritage play-off to American Brandt Snedeker on Sunday’s third extra hole.

Donald birdied the 18th and parred the 17th in the play-off only to see Snedeker match him each time. Snedeker parred at 18 on the third play-off hole but Donald’s par bid from the edge of the green lipped out to end the drama.

“I thought it was going to be my day... it wasn’t,” Donald said.

Donald, who began the week ranked third, passed idle top man Martin Kaymer, of Germany, and with a victory would have been number one for the first time.

Instead, the top spot goes again to England’s Lee Westwood, who won the Indonesian Masters last weekend to pass Kaymer and stay in front of Donald, who would have joined Westwood and Nick Faldo as the only Englishmen to claim world no.1 with a victory.

“I will keep plugging away. No-body likes to finish second. Second is not a lot of fun. But I will find something out of it,” Donald said.

Snedeker, whose only prior US PGA crown came in 2007 at Charlotte, fired the best round of the day, a seven-under 64, to set up his play-off heroics.

“I had no expectations going out there,” said Snedeker, who was six strokes off the pace when the final round began.

“I wanted to have a scrappy round and get ready for next week. I had a great round. Maybe that should tell me something.”