It has been only five years and in the grand scheme of things that is
nothing.
But the wait for another European to win a major title is becoming
uncomfortably long. And those teeing off at the Masters in Augusta on Thursday know
it.
The last to succeed was Paul Lawrie, who on an astonishing day at Carnoustie
in 1999 started the final day 10 strokes behind and won a play-off after Jean
Van de Velde triple-bogeyed the last hole.
Seventeen majors have been played since and that represents the longest barren
spell since 1979, when Seve Ballesteros' maiden Open title was the first
European victory since Tony Jacklin lifted the US Open nine years earlier.
One American newspaper this week headlined a piece called "The Fall of
Europe" and talked of "rough times".
It takes only one stellar performance to change that, of course, and having
seen Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel win the last two majors when their world
rankings were 396th and 169th respectively, there does not seem to be such a
thing as a mission impossible in golf any more.
This year saw the first time since the launch of the world rankings in 1986
that there was no European in the top 10, but Padraig Harrington has corrected
that, moving up to seventh with his runners-up finish in the Players
Championship and fourth place in the BellSouth Classic during the last two
weeks.
It makes him the leading player in the rankings without a major to his name -
and that can work two ways. It could give him the belief that he is ready to
break through, but, as Phil Mickelson has discovered, the level of expectancy
can weigh heavily.
Augusta National proved an incredibly happy hunting ground for Europeans
throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Ballesteros set the ball rolling with two wins,
then came Bernhard Langer and four British wins in a row - Sandy Lyle in 1988
with his seven-iron from the fairway bunker, Nick Faldo with two play-offs
victories on the 11th and Ian Woosnam with his clenched fist uppercut.
Langer and Faldo were to triumph again and Jose Maria Olazabal claimed
victories either side of the crippling illness which for a while threatened to
end his career and leave him in a wheelchair.
Heart-lifting stories all of them, but tough acts to follow for the likes of
Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Harrington, Thomas Bjorn and
Sergio Garcia.
Westwood has endured a two-year slump and is back playing well, but his
ranking position keeps him out this week.
There are still 19 Europeans in the field even with Ballesteros not feeling
able to play because of back problems and therefore missing his first Masters
since his debut in 1977.
Clarke led by three after his opening 66 last year, but the energy-sapping wet
conditions took their toll and he fell away.
He is a different shape now, nearly three stones lighter, but the course is
different too. And certainly more difficult.
"It's a lot firmer and there are some places where you hit it now and it's
just impossible to get close to the flag," said the Ulsterman.
"There are always those places here at Augusta, but there's more of them this
year because it's firm and fast."
Clarke's coach Butch Harmon is the man many feel Tiger Woods should return to
in order to iron out the recent kinks in his swing.
That does not stop Woods being favourite yet again and Harrington, paired with
the world No 1 in the final round of the Players Championship, stated: "You
should see the quality of the shots he's hitting."
Woods, seeking his fourth green jacket, is well used by now to the 'mass
hysteria' which breaks out whenever his game is even slightly off.
"It's just one of those things where people have an opinion and they voice
it," he said.
"It's different for me versus any other player.
"Some other player (he cited the example of Ernie Els at Bay Hill three weeks
ago) has a bad week, misses the cut, it's no big deal. It slips through the
radar, whereas if I shoot one bad round it's a little different.
"I think it's just expectation levels. I feel like I'm playing well and
things that I've been working on are starting to come together, which is great.
It's exciting."
His use of the phrase "starting to come together" does reveal, however, that
he knows his form has dipped.
"My swing is pretty close to where it was in 2000. The takeaway isn't as
solid as it has been and that's one of the things I've had to work on. I
basically went back to basics on that."
Vijay Singh, who would already have taken over as world No 1 if the rankings
were calculated over one year rather than two, says he could not be happier with
his game.
Mickelson, third in the Masters the last three years, has been playing well
again lately and then there are up-and-coming stars like Chad Campbell and
Players winner Adam Scott.
Woods and Els disagree over whether the conditions lengthen the list of
possible winners or reduces it. Woods thinks the latter and Singh will be
surprised if the champion is not a big-hitter.
That raises the exciting possibility of John Daly being in contention come
Sunday.
Only one thing will produce louder roars and that is guaranteed. Arnold Palmer
is making his 50th and final appearance.
The 74-year-old living legend has not made the halfway cut since 1983, so
barring the miracle of all miracles, Friday afternoon is when Arnie's Army will
fall in line for the last time.
US MASTERS NEWS
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