Despite British letdown, U.S. players still worthy opponents

text size

Getty Images

The No. 1 and 2 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking were absent from the top of the British Open leaderboard.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Was it a little blip or a disturbance in the force? One of those weeks or a trend? A global shift?

Seriously now. When was the last time an American wasn't a factor at a major? When someone from the States wasn't in the mix?

Maybe, one friend bravely offered, the 1959 British Open? That was the year before Arnold Palmer won at St. Andrews and heading to the UK every July became the thing to do.

Seeing American names near the top of the leaderboard at majors is what we have come to expect. And not always just the de facto two best players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Yes, we're spoiled. For years now Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been givens.

Tiger ran away with majors or eked them out. He has 14 total now and is headed toward Jack Nicklaus' record. Just now a little slower than we predicted.

And Phil? Every time he lost one and added another 0 to what ran to 0-for-43 before that jumping jack at the Masters, people loved him more.

This week they weren't factors. Tiger hit it on a string and couldn't scrape in a putt. It's easy to blame it on the new putter he used for three rounds, but don't. He went back to the one he won 13 majors with and it wasn't better.

Phil? He never really got untracked. Then again, he seldom does at British Opens. They don't fit his style. He hoped -- we wondered -- if St. Andrews would be different. It wasn't.

Tiger finished with a share of 23rd; Phil a share of 48th.

Majors felt like an unalienable right from 1946-1990 when the States won 132 of 180 of them. Then the U.S. won just seven of the next 20. Since then, well, the U.S. has dominated.

And while we're at it, we should also mention this is only the third time in 45 years International players won both the U.S. and British Opens. It happened in 1994 and 2007, too.

British Open week left the U.S. feeling as flat as America did with that final World Cup loss. So many hopes. So many possibilities -- including the odds-on favorite.

You could point out that St. Andrews is the home of the Dunhill Links, which means the European Tour players have a bit of an advantage since it's on their schedule every year.

And, yes, men's golf is global. Not as global as the LPGA, but close. Y.E. Yang won the PGA. UK and Northern Ireland players have 6 of the top 11 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking and eight of the top 18. South Africa, with the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, and Australia also boast many major champions.

Strong stats. Strong players. But still, to not have any -- not one -- American jumping into the final-round fray?

While we wait for Tiger to put his life and game back together -- and settle on a putter -- it's easy to think the American cupboard is half empty when it's really pretty full.

So how did the rest of the Americans fair at St. Andrews? Nick Watney shared seventh with Sean O'Hair for his second top 10 at a major this year. Rickie Fowler, one of the most exciting young players, got a T14 in his first major this year and only his third as a professional. Dustin Johnson blew his chance at the U.S. Open with a closing 82, but came back here and finished in a share for 14th with Fowler, Tom Lehman and J.B. Holmes. Even Ricky Barnes had us taking note until a closing 77.

The usual suspects -- Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink and Steve Stricker -- were afterthoughts. And Anthony Kim was back home, finishing up his rehab after thumb surgery.

As disappointed as the U.S. players were, think about the UK. Rory McIlroy, one of the most exciting young players, has put his Friday 80 behind him, but it cost him a chance to make a real run. But that 63 and two good closing rounds tell us a major is just around the corner.

Lee Westwood has a calf injury and came as close as anyone, which wasn't really close at all as it turned out. Four top 3s in the last five majors. It will happen. Paul Casey started the day four back and... nothing went right. We won't begin to expand on Asia where Ryo Ishikawa has that major look to his future.

Everyone's talking about the Ryder Cup and how -- on paper -- the Europeans are prohibitive favorites. They've had an incredible spring and summer and they're playing at home in Wales. With weather. But don't get too carried away.

Ian Poulter figures this is Europe's time to pounce. Tiger and Phil are getting older and America's young guns are older than Europe's. Lehman disagrees.

"You have to take your hat off to the quality in Europe," said Lehman, one of Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin's assistants. "Ian Poulter can say what he says because he's a really talented player. He calls it like he sees it, and I respect his honesty. They'll be tough to beat. But there's a bunch of U.S. guys too. They'll have something to prove and they're very talented themselves.''

A blip or a disturbance? We'll go with the former.

Tiger is close to putting it together. Phil is a stateside major away from a pretty good year. Watney, O'Hair and Johnson are learning what it takes at majors -- ditto for Holmes and Overton -- and demanding our attention while Kim is on the mend. Bubba Watson, Barnes and former U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover are close. Bo Van Pelt is peeking around the corner.

So many Internationals make -- or have -- homes in the States because they play the PGA TOUR. They're friends -- like Fowler and McIlroy. And until Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup time they don't look at the tiny flags next to their names.

"We all,'' as Woods said last week, "know them as just players."

Major ones.