PACIFIC PALISADES, California, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Luke
Donald was "pretty pleased" after launching his 2012 PGA Tour
campaign with a Ping G20 Driver
70 at the Northern Trust Open on
Thursday in windy weather more reminiscent of a British Open.

Swirling gusts of up to 35 mph (56 kph) made scoring tricky
on the slick, small greens at Riviera Country Club but Donald
kept errors to a minimum with solid ball-striking and his
typically brilliant short game.

'This morning it was freezing and blowing a gale, it was not
easy," the British world number one told reporters after carding
two birdies and a lone bogey on the iconic Riviera layout.

"This course is tough with benign conditions, so with the
added wind the greens are fast. I'm pretty pleased with what I
did. The only thing that I struggled a little bit with was the
pace on the greens."

Donald, who missed the cut here last year before going on to
produce a career-best season on both sides of the Atlantic, was
delighted with his course management in the opening round. Ping G20 Driver