Another major championship is in the books. Tiger Woods won his 11th major championship and continues to close in on Jack’s all-time record. Woods displayed beautiful ball striking and a wonderful putting touch all week. Hoylake also held up a lot better than I expected, especially after seeing all the low rounds on day one. It’s not my favorite Open course, but it wasn’t quite the pushover the experts predicted it would be.
The win by Tiger Woods didn’t really catch my attention because he has been there and done that on numerous occasions. I did, however, get a little teary-eyed when he talked about winning it for his dad. Aside from Tiger’s performance, the thing that stood out to me most was the fact the Europeans still haven’t won a major championship since the 1999 British Open. That was seven years ago for crying out loud!
During the 1990s, the Europeans won nine major championships. Even though Nick Faldo and José Maria Olazabal accounted for six of those nine, that number is still impressive. The other three majors were won by Ian Woosnam (1991 Masters), Bernhard Langer (1993 Masters), and Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open).
The fact that there are so many talented European golfers nowadays makes this even more shocking. Last week at Monty’s press conference, he was asked about the high number of European players ranked inside the top 50 in the world rankings. Monty hinted at the fact that the rest of the world is catching up to the Americans.
That may be the case as far as the world rankings and Ryder Cup are concerned, but the European golfers simply aren’t getting the job done when it counts the most. Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, David Howell, Colin Montgomerie, José Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, and Padraig Harrington are all ranked in the top 20 in the world. Other than Olazabal, none of these talented golfers have any major championship wins to their credit. That is disappointing to say the least.
How much longer is the losing streak in major championships going to last for the Europeans? Even better, who is going to step up and win a big one? I’m going to do my best to answer these questions and more, so sit tight while I get to the good stuff. By the way, try not to give me a hard time in regards to my awful British Open predictions.
The Slump
Like I mentioned above, no European golfer has won a major championship since the 1999 British Open. Sergio Garcia came very close to winning the 1999 PGA Championship, but Tiger Woods outlasted the young Spaniard. Needless to say, Garcia hasn’t been the same since when it comes to challenging Tiger. Words can’t really describe what happens to Garcia on championship Sunday in majors (including this past weekend at Hoylake).
Thomas Björn could have silenced the critics a little by winning the 2003 British Open. But even that was a full three years ago. Björn seemingly had things wrapped up before carding a bogey at 15, double bogey at 16, and a final bogey at 17. It was just another day at the office for Europeans in recent major championships.
Colin Montgomerie has faced his fair share of heartbreak in the past year. At last year’s British Open, Monty had a chance on Sunday before faltering late and losing to Tiger Woods. A month ago, the European “curse” was in full effect at Winged Foot. Monty had a chance to win the U.S. Open before completely crumbling from the middle of the 18th fairway en route to carding a double bogey and losing by one.
I’m not sure if that was the Monty curse or the European curse. Then again, it may have been a little of both. It’s hard to imagine the Europeans falling on hard times in major championships, but it’s getting out of hand as of late. It really seems to be turning into a curse of some kind.
How Long will the Slump Last?
The European slump may very well end at next month’s PGA Championship. With 13 more major championships left before the start of 2010, it’s questionable whether or not the Europeans will win one in this decade.
A European won’t win the PGA Championship next month, but they will win a major next season. There are too many great players from across the pond to think otherwise. You heard it here first that a European will win a big one next season.
Who will Break Through for the Europeans?
A lot of golf analysts talk highly of Luke Donald, David Howell, and Padraig Harrington when it comes to contending and possibly winning major championships. However, these three haven’t played “lights out” in majors recently. Harrington had a chance to win at Winged Foot, but he jumped on the bogey train for the last three holes.
Luke Donald’s best finish in a major was a tie for third at the 2005 Masters. The finish was high, but he was way off the pace set by Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco. He wasn’t even in contention on Sunday. As a whole, Donald’s play in major championships has been a disappointment.
David Howell’s record in major championships is awful. He has only made one cut in his British Open history, a big shocker. Howell’s best finish in any major was a tie for 11th at the 2005 Masters. Even then, he wasn’t even close to the leaders.
European fans can always hope Monty’s day in the sun will come at a major championship. Monty will win one before his career is in the books, but it won’t be in the next year or two.
Then there are the up-and-coming European golfers like Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, and Ian Poulter. One of these three guys might have a better chance to win a major than some of the others. Poulter and Stenson have the game and demeanor to contend in major championships. Americans don’t like Paul Casey, but he has a lot of good years ahead of him and will win a major or two in his career.
When it comes right down to it, however, Sergio Garcia is still Europe’s best hope to win a major championship. I don’t care what anyone says about his mental strength; the guy can hit a golf ball with the best in the world. If Garcia would have been paired with anyone other than Tiger at Hoylake, he very well could have walked away with the Claret Jug. The young Spaniard has Tiger-phobia to say the least, but Tiger won’t be in the same group every time the two are contending in a major.
You can take it to the bank that Sergio Garcia will win a major championship in 2007. It could be any of the four majors because Sergio’s ball striking always gives him a chance. He won’t putt poorly for the rest of his life. It’s actually quite amazing how many times he has put himself in contention over the past several years, only to falter with the putter.
The Final Say
After Sergio wins a major, other European golfers will follow suit. Before long, we might be talking about the American struggles in major championships. That’s pretty unlikely as long as Tiger and Phil are teeing it up, but there is always a chance. We all know there aren’t any young Americans ready to challenge for any majors anytime soon.
It’s no secret that the Europeans have dominated the Ryder Cup in recent times, and they have also started to take over in the world rankings. However, this hasn’t added up to major championships, and in golf, that’s what matters the most when careers are evaluated.
That’s all I have to say this week. It’s your turn to tell me what you think about the article. How long will the European slump in majors last? Also, what is the main cause of the long slump? Finally, which European golfer will be the next to break out and win a major? If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!
Photo Credits: © Getty Images, © Jeff J. Mitchell/Reuters.
Cody: You are seriously misplaced by saying Sergio will win a major in 2007. If his precious little psyche wasn’t already a little weakened, Sunday’s final round with Tiger will leave a permanent scar. After Sunday I don’t think he has it in him to ever win a major.
Unless golf allows “pinch-putters”, Sergio is screwed.
Nice job Cody, very enjoyable read. One thing I’d add to it is mention the “others” – there were few non-european and non-american players that raked some of the hardware at the recent majors. Weir, Singh, Campbell come to mind right away, leaving only 4 out of last 8 to americans (I’m not good at golf trivia, there could’ve been more…). With the number of people playing golf in US – I think 50% of wins is not that unusual…
Cody,
As always, you raise a good point with your article.
I would argue that the European golfers today are better players (or at least have more depth) than they have been since Faldo was number 1. Donald, Casey, Garcia, Jimenez, Howell, etc.
Look at the Ryder Cup team for this year’s team and you can see that they at least match up on paper with the American team. That was not true for the last few years (a lot of good that did us in the past).
My question is how does Garcia putt so well in the Ryder Cup, but cannot do so well in final rounds in majors. He has handled the pressure then. If Garcia overcomes his putting issues (there are a group of others that fall into this category), he can compete with Phil and Tiger on almost any course.
Who knows what the next few years holds for future Euro talent. I can recall everyone was touting young guns (Howell III and Ryan Moore come to mind) playing against Tiger, but they have fallen off the planet.
Wasn’t it amazing to see Sergio look so much more comfortable with 3 holes to go on Sunday when he knew there was no way he was going to win, it looks like he needs the help of a psychologist, BIG TIME.
3 out of every 4 majors are played in the USA.
The surprise is that Americans don’t win more of the majors. The home ground advantage is a huge factor.
I’ll admit, my logic falters with the British Open – dominated in recent years by Americans!
Enjoyed the article. But when you say the number of Americans it is only really Tiger and Phil. The Micheal’s, Curtis’ were really, with no disrespect as they were the best golfers that week, abberations. Els, Singh, Goosen are really the only other multiple major winners with potentially more on the way. Daly and O’Meara are past it. There are really no American players under 30 coming through.
An related issue of sorts, ie the strength of Golf outside Ryder Cup countries. The top 12 ranked players on either the US, European and International Presidents Cup team is actually the later. With 5 of the top 8 in the world also being on that theoretical team.
Enjoy all the articles, greeting from down under
Sergio’s problem is not a putting problem. It’s a mental problem.
Match play (Ryder Cup) is a different mentality than stroke play (majors). He always, always, always leaves putts short in the majors, but always gets them to the hole in the Ryder Cup.
It’s a mental issue, not a putting issue.