Donald: Keep calm and carry on ... to the Claret Jug
European Tour Open Championship PGA Tour

Donald: Keep calm and carry on … to the Claret Jug

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Luke Donald is No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but is looking to notch major victory No. 1 this week at the Open Championship.

Despite his often calm English exterior, Donald admitted again he has been unable to steady the nerves in majors.

"It's taken a bit of time for that thought to drop because I just have been getting a little bit too uptight and anxious," Donald said Tuesday, according to Retuers. "It's a very normal mode to switch into because the pressure is that much more. You want it that much more."

Tony Jacklin, the last Englishman to win this championship on English soil at this venue in 1969, may have some bad news for Donald about controlling the nerves.

"I was never that nervous I don't think before (as in '69), and I remember saying to Jack Nicklaus at the presentation, I didn't think I could be that nervous and play," Jacklin said Monday. "And he said, 'I know, isn't it great.'"

Donald realizes he will not be able to fully control how he reacts to each twist and turn of the Open, but he hopes to fight through the emotions.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "There will be times when I get uptight but then I've just got to kind of remember where I am and how I want to feel over each shot."

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Ryan Ballengee

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