European stars can only take heart
There is no intention to take anything away from Campbell’s achievement at Pinehurst. He was nothing short of magnificent, but there’s the rub for the people he plays alongside week in, week out, on the European Tour. Sergio Garcia more or less backed into third place and that was a fine performance, too.
But Sergio plays almost all of his golf in the US and has become more or less “Americanised.”
Lee Westwood stayed the pace for three rounds and then disappeared from the radar. As for the others - nowhere. One of the biggest disappointments of all was Pádraig Harrington, the second European in the rankings behind Garcia going to Pinehurst. The cut was a generous eight over par - he missed by three. He stayed in Pinehurst over the weekend for yet another bout of intensive practice. You often wish Pádraig would forget about golf altogether and think of other things but it simply isn’t in his nature. He’s a workaholic and you have to wonder if that is in his own best interests.
Harrington, still 11th in the rankings, plays the Barclays Westchester Classic this week, an event Darren Clarke misses out on even though the banking magnates are his major sponsor. His wife, Heather, was due to leave hospital yesterday and the intention now is for Darren to make his return to the game in the Smurfit European Open at The K-Club in nine days time. He is 16th in the world.
Paul McGinley was best of the Irish at Pinehurst in 43rd spot and was as honest and realistic as ever about his career as he summed up his week. He recognises that he won’t challenge for these major titles unless he can improve his putting, a point well made by the statistic that he didn’t break 30 on the greens in any of his four rounds. McGinley, ranked 46th in the world, is in the French Open this week and is now into a spell of six successive tournaments.
Graeme McDowell, one spot better off than McGinley in the rankings, had a dismal day on Sunday having done well to make the cut and he, too, knows that a lot of hard work lies ahead if he is to realise his undoubted potential.
The lesson he learned is that he needs to shape his shots from left to right on difficult golf courses like Pinehurst and other major venues and claims this is a work in progress.
As for Sergio Garcia, the feeling has to be that he is edging ever nearer that elusive first major. He plugged away gamely on Sunday, focusing well on what he himself was doing and hoping that those ahead of him might fall foul of the many pitfalls that lie in wait at Pinehurst. It wasn’t to be but he was well entitled to observe after a closing 70 that “I really feel like I shot the highest score I could shoot today. You’ve got to have breaks and you’ve got to make a couple of putts. If you do that, you’re standing up here with the cup.”
It’s easy to take a crack at the Europeans for this latest failure (there hasn’t been a major winner from this side of the Atlantic since Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999 or a US Open champion since Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine in 1970) but with the obvious exception of Tiger Woods, the Americans are no great shakes either. Tiger finished second, having won at Augusta so you can hardly disparage his current form.
As for the rest... well, Davis Love III came late with a 69 to tie 6th with another American, Rocco Mediate, and Vijay Singh, whose cold putter tore the heart out of his challenge over the four days.
People like Arron Oberholser, Bob Estes, Corey Pavin, Stewart Cink, Fred Couples, John Cook, Peter Jacobsen and David Toms managed top 20 finishes but they have at least one thing in common. They’re all over 30, a few are over 40 and Jacobsen is 52.
Where are all the young Yanks? Not to be seen is the answer. And that’s an amazing situation for such a vast nation blessed with a wonderful collegiate golfing system. They keep hoping for Charles Howell III to come through, but he’s rarely if ever a factor on the big occasion and this time he finished in a tie for 75th.
While everybody salutes Michael Campbell as a surprise but worthy champion, the 2005 US Open will also be remembered for the totally unexpected collapse of Retief Goosen, three ahead going into the final round and apparently right on top of his game. Eighty one shots later, he was back in 11th place and wondering what had hit him. The Americans just can’t warm to the guy and will use this golfing disaster to beat him further.
Nevertheless, he could not have been more gracious and stood on the podium answering their questions for as long as they wanted him to do so.
He even showed his sense of humour when he turned to fellow struggler Jason Gore late in the round and told him “We’re going to build up a cricket score between us.” He wasn’t far wrong; who could ever have envisaged the final pairing in a major taking 165 shots between them?
And finally Tiger Woods... there will be those who say he threw it away with those bogeys at 16 and 17. Whatever about the former, he was chasing it on the 17th and charged his putt five or six feet by. Reckless? Perhaps - but what a tryer he is. Woods never gives up and even his harshest critics will acknowledge that. His will to win frequently causes him to behave in a disappointing manner, like when he scuffed the 9th green in temper on Friday evening, but it’s difficult not to rave about his golf game. Nobody gives it more and there’s a huge buzz whenever he lets rip with that driver.
“I figured if I could get to even par for the tournament, I might be able to get in a play-off”, he mused. “But those bogeys at 16 and 17 put me out of the equation. I was trying to make that putt on 17 but not at that speed. I just pulled it and blocked the second one. Somewhere in between would have been great. I didn’t feel comfortable with my putter all week. I could never get the speed right. After that bogey, bogey start, I’m sure most people wrote me off.
“But look how beautifully I hit it all week. I really controlled my flight well. I drove the ball better. The quality of shots has got better and that’s exciting. We fine-tuned a few things after Augusta. I’ve taken some giant strides and that’s exciting, too. I just wish I could have brought my putter with me.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
