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Luke Donald prepares for the Masters

Ryder Cup star Luke Donald shares his thoughts ahead of the opening round of the Masters.

My earliest memories of the Masters are of being allowed to stay up to watch the tournament when it was shown on television. It's a special place and it means a lot to me which is one reason why I've been practising hard in readiness for this latest major.

Some people might think 'well, it's just golf' but actually, it's my job, and I take it very seriously.

When you are preparing for a major tournament such as the Masters you perhaps practise more intensely. You put in a little bit more time on the practice areas, and work on a few specific things which you know you will come up against at Augusta.

For me it's all about going through the routines, getting my swing as solid as possible and concentrating on the fundamentals. It's about making sure that when I get to Augusta, I don't have to think about the basics so much.

It's very important to practise for what will inevitably happen on and around the slick Augusta greens. I am lucky that I have been practising at The Bear's Club which is Jack Nicklaus' course not far from my house in Florida.

There they even deliberately speed up one of the back greens to make it nice and fast so that I am able to practise my putting in Augusta-type conditions. It's stuff like that which gives me a taste of what is to come in The Masters.

I've also been using some of the tools of my trade, such as a pair of knitting needles and a ball of string which I always have with me.

You see a lot of golfers with this equipment and it's just as simple method of helping you putt straighter which only costs a couple of dollars. You wrap the string round the needles, and put them down on the practice green to help you line up your putts. It gives you a good visual reference for how to aim your eyes and the putter.

I do have a tendency on occasion to get my eyes a bit out of line so this helps me to really see the line. I used it the other day and it was a useful drill for me.

Thanks to my sponsors RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group), Jack Nicklaus is always available to talk to me when I need him and it's good to be a member of a club where he attends quite often.

Advice

At the start of last week I saw him at the club at a special event which raises money for Jack's own children's charity. The tournament is called The Jake after his young grandson who drowned three years ago.

I was delighted to help with this worthy cause and I also got to see Jack play. Indeed, I watched him on the 18th where he hit a 280-yard drive straight down the middle, proving that he has still got the shots even though he doesn't play very often now.

I tend not to bother him for advice but it is good to know that one of the greatest golfers of all time is there for me if I need him.

As my practice nears completion, physically it's just a case of staying loose. I have an exercise programme which I try to keep to pretty diligently and in the last few days, I've had a few extra massages to make sure that I am limbered up and ready to go. I've been doing a lot of stretches and generally just making sure that I get to Augusta in the best possible shape.

I only found out last October that I was intolerant to wheat, so I have cut out a lot of bread and pasta from my diet. Basically anything with wheat in it has had to go, and as a result I have lost about 5lbs.

I've been able to concentrate completely on my practice because my wife, Diane, and the rest of my family have been staying at home. At Augusta I will have my brother Chris with me and my mother-in-law Elizabeth who is actually something of a lucky charm for me. It seems that every time she comes to see me I do pretty well so let's hope it works for me this week.

I am staying at a house a few miles from the course. When you come out of the club you turn right, instead of left as most people do. Thankfully I tend to be able to get there and back without having to worry too much about the traffic.

At Augusta, it is all about managing your round and having a good short game so that's what we'll be working on.

I have to say that I do rate my chances for the tournament, but then every time I enter a tournament my goal is to win, no matter what the event.

Realistic

I've had some good performances at Augusta in the past and I had a realistic chance of winning last year until I took a seven at the ninth. I still managed to finish tenth and of course, I was third on my debut in the Masters in 2005. It's a tournament I love to be part of, and I have some great memories of it already.

My year so far has been going pretty well and I had a good chance to win at the Honda Classic where I eventually finished second to Ernie Els. I also had a nice finish at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles to end up in third.

Who else could win? Well, Tiger Woods is always going to have a great chance of winning any tournament he plays in, and you only have to look at his record at Augusta where he has won four times and also finished second and third in recent years. He's in great form, undeniably the best player in the world, and will be hard to beat.

Zach Johnson showed last year that you don't have to be a 'bomber' to win around Augusta and he made good use of his short game to shoot ten or 11 under on the par fives which was a key to his victory. I am sure he'll be up there again. Geoff Ogilvy is also coming into form.

I do feel that some of the European players could break through at this year's tournament. I saw Justin Rose at the Bear's Club a couple of days last week. He was down practising and working with his coach. He was working hard and it looks as if his game is in good order and of course he had a great finish to the Masters last year.

I feel the British players can do well this year. It just takes one guy to start things off and obviously having Padraig Harrington win last year's Open was a good boost for the British contingent. Hopefully one of us can follow in his footsteps. We have proved ourselves in the Ryder Cup and there's no reason why we cannot do so in the Majors.