Time for Europe’s best to put US Open hoodoo to a close
They have all tried … Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo, with five and six majors respectively on their CVs, Bernhard Langer and Jose-Maria Olazabal with their two Masters, Sandy Lyle, champion at Augusta and also at the Open Championship, Ian Woosnam, proud owner of a green jacket, Colin Montgomerie, eight times leader of the European Tour order of merit.
None has succeeded in what the Americans like to describe as the most demanding of all golfing tests. Monty got into a play-off at Oakmont in 1994 but lost to Ernie Els. Three years later, he faltered towards the finish at Congressional and the South African stepped in once more.
The Scot had an even more bitter pill to swallow at Winged Foot two years ago. He stood in the middle of the 72nd fairway needing a par four for victory. In between clubs, he opted for a hard seven iron instead of a soft six, pushed it into savage rough, hacked out and three putted to end up one behind Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
That was as good as it got. This week, they try again. Twenty seven Europeans (including amateur Gary Wolstenholme) are in the field at Torrey Pines, with as many as half of them hopeful of great things come Sunday evening.
Wishful thinking? Very probably, given their miserable record in the event over the past 38 years. Open champion Padraig Harrington is rated the best bet, followed by Englishmen Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Jimenez, perhaps the Swedes Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, and just maybe precocious German Martin Kaymer.
There could hardly be a better time to make the breakthrough considering that the Americans are going through a desperately lean spell themselves. Tiger Woods won the second of his US Opens six years ago, Phil Mickelson has none at all to his credit.
If a South African, New Zealander, Australian and Argentine can do it, why in heaven’s name can’t any one of the many hugely talented Europeans? Everybody has a theory and this week Fiji’s Vijay Singh, who himself has not won the title but is a likely one to continue the “foreign” domination, for some strange reason came up with his explanation for the drought.
“Their way of life is so comfortable that it doesn’t seem to matter to them whether they win or not,” he claimed. “Real winners are different to the rest. They have one- track minds and nothing interferes with their philosophy that they should think, play and live their sport all the time. They don’t worry about their hotel room or what they’re going to eat for dinner.”
Personally, I believe that to be a sweeping generalisation. It might apply to some but certainly not to the likes of Pádraig Harrington. When he turned professional, even the man himself felt he would be little more than a journeyman but by dint of unrelenting dedication, an admirable work ethic and a voracious appetite for learning everything possible about the golf swing, he developed into a major championship winner and a very wealthy man in the process.
Pádraig isn’t the only example of this. It’s just that he broke the mould, so to speak, at Carnoustie last July and now they all want to follow in his footsteps. Most aren’t averse to the idea of working their socks off to do so. Casey undoubtedly has the talent and agrees that Harrington’s breakthrough should lead to further European successes.
“We have age on our side, Luke, Ian Poulter, Justin, myself. This could be the week when it happens.” Donald made an interesting comment about Colin Montgomerie who, he hinted, “wasn’t on the range or in the gym very much when he was dominating the European Tour. I doubt if he was thinking about what he should eat all the time. Quite simply, we are all different people.”
Singh’s words won’t stir a hornet’s nest because we have heard this kind of stuff several times in the past. Nevertheless, they could act as a wake-up call for those who may not be putting their shoulder to the wheel quite as hard as they should. Harrington has shown that it can be done and one good reason was that he believed he could do it. You can’t help believing that a greater level of self esteem among the top Europeans would help.
I still find it hard to understand why Michael Campbell (who has done virtually nothing of any consequence since Pinehurst in ‘05) has been crowned US Open champion and the likes of Ballesteros, Langer, Faldo and the other greats of that era along with those who have helped Europe to wipe the floor with the Americans in the Ryder Cup over the past decade or thereabouts, have failed to do so.
As Casey says: “This could be the week when things start to happen.” And about time, too.
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