111th Us Open: Is it the end of American dominance in golf
To many critics, American golf has probably come a full circle with the gradual decline of Tiger Woods' winning spree on both sides of the Atlantic. Finding a momentary respite in his absence from the mainstream events, Europeans as well as the golfers from
all nooks and corners in the world are climbing up their way in the rankings to wipe out American presence at the top.
Rory McIlroy, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman, won his first major, the US Open at Congressional Country Club last week, to become the fifth straight major winner who is not an American. Phil Mickelson, the weary American at 41 years of age, is one of
the only prolific US golfers for the moment, who won the Masters last year at Augusta. The current four major winners are all non-Americans and in their 20’s, something which indicates the young trailblazers are sweeping their wings to take over the top slot
for a longtime to come.
Only two notable American players finished off with a decent score, tied for the third spot, at Congressional. Kevin Chappell, former NCAA champion and Nationwide Tour veteran Robert Garrigus, closed their final rounds with 66 and 70 respectively to finish
for third place alongside Lee Westwood and Y.E Yang.
"I don't think the state of American golf is where everyone expects it to be, but I think it's definitely going to end up going in the right direction here sometime soon," said Chappell, who has played 16 Tour events this year.
Davis Love III, also among the field, hoped that the Americans will return to the top rankings sooner than later. "I think you can give Seve (Ballesteros) a lot of credit; Seve and Bernhard Langer, for letting the Europeans realize that they can work hard
and come over here and compete," said Davis Love III, who closed with a 70 and tied for 11th. " … Everything goes in streaks, you know. We might be talking about how four Americans win the next four."
Ironically though, those streaks are nowhere to be seen on the horizon. Some of the best ranking golfers from Europe and the rest of the world, have just embarked on their journey, unlike American golfers who are fast aging and retiring from professional
circuits.
With Woods' plummeting career and celebrity status, US will be needing no less than a dozen fire brand golfers who would probably challenge the European rampage on its courses. This was for the second time in 40 years that the Europeans have ran away with
the National title of the US. McDowell being the first to win it last year.
McIlroy is now being touted as the next most celebrated golfer and is poised to reach a staggering $1-billion after his stellar win.
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