Euros in ha’penny place for majors

THE prospects of a European victory in a major are probably a little brighter after the Masters.

But they still have a long way to go to knock the likes of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen off their perch.

When Padraig Harrington declared that while Europe may have the strength in depth to win Ryder Cups, they may not have the individuals to knock the fab five, he may have been very close to the truth.

Harrington is ranked immediately behind the quintet but didn’t even make the cut at Augusta. Other matters are, of course, preying on his mind and one good reason why he is taking the next two weeks off.

Much the same applies to Darren Clarke, except that he will soldier on at the MCI Heritage tournament on the US Tour starting at Hilton Head on Thursday. He played well over the weekend, totalling four under par for the 36 holes, but still finished back in a tie for 17th worth $112,000. Interestingly, Clarke is also 17th in the world rankings so perhaps he actually performed to his current potential.

As Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco battled it out for the green jacket, the rest were left to settle for the minor placings. Mind you, that’s hardly a category Luke Donald would fit into for it was, after all, his first Masters and a share of third spot was a splendid achievement.

Donald said: “I’ll take a lot of confidence out of this. I feel this is my mind of course, especially if the ball is running and the weather is fine.”

Maybe not this year, but you do get these kinds of conditions at Augusta and the tidy, unruffled Donald is certainly capable of taking advantage. For now, a cheque for $406,000 and a pair of Masters crystal goblets for his eagles at the 13th and 15th on Sunday will serve as a welcome reminder of a great week among the azaleas and the cathedral pines of Augusta.

Donald looks the European most likely to succeed even if he is still behind Harrington and Sergio Garcia in the world rankings. Of the others, none did better than David Howell who suffered when partnered by Woods in the third round but otherwise handled himself beautifully.

You also had to admire his honesty: “I don’t know if I’ll ever be good enough to win a major but I came here with the goal of finishing in the top 16 so as to get invited back next year. I’ve done that by coming 11th so I’m very happy,” he said.

The major scene now moves on to Pinehurst, North Carolina, in June with Woods in pole position once again, astride the world rankings. You’d wonder if there was any significance that while he was climbing back to the top, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson were dropping quietly out of the race. Eight shots separated Woods and Singh back in a tie for 5th. Mickelson was another stroke again off the pace.

“I just couldn’t get the feel of the greens,” said Singh. “I’m not putting badly, just can’t get the feel in my hands. Losing my number one status doesn’t concern me very much. It’s a long season,” he said.

Mickelson’s rivalry with Woods and Singh has been well chronicled but it has to be agreed he conducted himself with utmost decorum when handing over the green jacket to the former and how he partnered the latter on the course. As for his own game, Phil said: “I wasn’t able to mount a challenge. Tiger played incredible golf.”

As for Ernie Els, he had the ignominy of figuring in the first match on Sunday and he eventually came home 47th of 50. “My game wasn’t there. That’s it. We’ll move on. I don’t want to make excuses. I’ve got to work on my game and get in better shape. I haven’t had a chance to do so for the past couple of weeks,” he said.