2011: Which Horse to Back? The European State of Affairs - Part 1
The year 2010 has been bitter sweet for the golf fans out there. On one hand, we saw the fall of the golfing legend that was Tiger Woods. On the other side, we saw a surprising number of golfers stepping up their game and filling
the void left by the star player.
This year belonged to the Europeans, hands down. The Number one Tennis player in the world is a European and so is the Number one golfer in the world, Lee Westwood. Graeme McDowell won the US Open and Team Europe came home with
the Ryder Cup. So, does that mean 2011 will see the European golfers dominating all events or will Tiger Woods pull a miracle out of his magician’s hat and reclaim his kingdom?
There is certainly no scarcity of talent in the European continent; this much has been proven to us as the current season draws to an end. A number of serious contenders for the top spot have emerged this year. However, it remains
to be seen whether raw talent is enough to take them to Number 1.
For Lee Westwood, the highlight of his career has to be his win against Tiger Woods that got him the World Number One spot. For years now, Tiger Woods has been the monarch of the game. No one could even dream of taking his place
and then, along came the Brit, who usurped Tiger form his throne. Indeed this was a monumental achievement.
Even though he currently holds the top spot, the year has not exactly been the fairytale Lee had hoped for. His year was not only marred by injuries, but once again, a major title eluded him. Despite this failure, his position
as the World Number One was cemented when he walked home with the win at the Nedbank challenge in his pocket.
The golfer has shown a definite improvement over the last two years. Last year he held the 3rd position in both the Open and PGA Championship; this year he went on to claim the 2nd position in both the tournaments.
If the stats are to be believed there seems to be absolutely no reason why the British player will not go on to grab a major win next season. Lee certainly has the temperament and the control for picking up the title; all he needs to do is man up and go for
it.
Nonetheless, what a year it has been for Graeme McDowell, the Irish star player. With a win at the US Open, it seemed like things could not get any better for him. Yet, better, they did get and the amazing skill and talent he displayed
during the Ryder Cup, not only sent team Europe home with the Cup, but also earned him a permanent place in the global spotlight.
Despite the massive success that he has experienced over a relatively short period, McDowell has remained calm, collected and focused. This down to earth temperament and focus is exactly what players need in order to go places
and we can bet our entire year’s salary on the fact that Graeme McDowell is indeed going places!
Unless you are the great Tiger Woods, it is really hard for you to win more than one Major in your entire golfing career. However, Graeme McDowell has been showing us throughout the year that he has the game to do exactly that;
win another major. Look at it this way, the man who just beat Tiger Woods at the Chevron Challenge can surely be the one who replaces Tiger; quite possible, isn’t it? It will not be a walk in the park, but it is definitely an achievable goal.
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