Can Brit-pack claim victory at Pebble Beach?
When Tony Jacklin won the US Open at Hazeltine in 1970, he became the first Briton to win the major since Scotland's Willie McFarlane in 1925 - the first European too, for that matter.
It's difficult to believe that Jacklin would also be the last player from these isles to win the tournament, but while English football fans have been harping on about seemingly aeons of pain when it comes to the world cup, British and European golf enthusiasts have quietly been enduring their own 40 years of hurt.
With Lee Westwood coming to California off the back of a PGA Tour victory last week, and several other top European players turning out at Pebble Beach on Thursday, could 2010 be the year when we beat the Yanks once again on their home turf?
Tiger Woods, so indomitable here ten years ago, may still be dangerous; Phil Mickelson certainly is. And there are a number of fine players, both American and from the rest of the globe, more than capable of producing golf as sublime as the surroundings, even if Pebble's unforgiving design means that good fortune will surely play a part in proceedings.
But with plenty of Europeans vying for the major, perhaps most ably represented by the English, maybe Jacklin's lone vigil is coming to an end. We've already mulled over Lee Westwood's chances in a previous article, but in summary - he was a runner up at the Masters this year, is ranked No. 3 player in the world, and is coming off the back of a (not entirely convincing) victory on the PGA Tour. He's a candidate alright.
Westwood also refers to Pebble Beach as his favourite course in the world, and he finished fifth here ten years ago, when Woods blew the rest of the field away with a winning margin of 15 strokes. That Westy has the game to compete is hardly in doubt - after so many near misses, let's take a positive view and say that for the 37-year-old, that first major win is just a matter of time. We'd love to see it happen this weekend.
What of the other great hopes? Luke Donald's inability to close a tournament led to one hack coining the phrase "Luke Donald Disease" as a catch-all description for English players who seemed happy to make a living on tour without ever winning.
But Donald (pictured) took the Madrid Masters on the European Tour at the end of May, and that and his four top 10 finishes from 11 starts on the PGA Tour has pushed the 32-year-old to the No. 6 ranking in the world. He's had the European victory in recent weeks - might an American one beckon at Pebble?
Ian Poulter won the WGC Match Play Championship in February, his first win in the US, and was 10th at the Masters, but Poults has gone off the boil since, with anonymous showings and missed cuts at his most recent tournaments.
He may be the world No. 8, but Poulter's record at the US Open isn't great, the 34-year-old having never finished in the top 10 at this major - and adding to the doubts is the knowledge that he's never played at Pebble before, either.
Of course, Poulter is just the sort of contrarian who can easily banish such concerns - at the 2008 Ryder Cup, he was Europe's leading points scorer, despite having never played at Valhalla before. Even so, Pebble Beach's brutal rough and petite greens may prove tougher for the Englishman to get his head round.
Paul Casey, No. 9 in the world was second to Poulter at the Match Play Championship, and since then he's managed a few top 10 finishes without really setting anyone's pulse racing. Casey has rarely impressed at the US Open, his best finish coming in 2007 when he was tied for 10th place, but the Englishman is still finding his way back to his best after suffering a wrist injury that saw him sit out the last half of the 2009 season. With few expectations on his shoulders, maybe the 32-year-old can provide the surprise package this year.
Outside of the English hopes, 21-year-old Rory McIlroy has already beaten Phil Mickelson in outrageous style once this year, the Ulsterman beating the world No. 2 with a breathtaking final day round of 62 at Quail Hollow that saw McIlroy win his first PGA tournament.
But prior to that the Northern Irishman had missed several cuts - most notably at Augusta, and his recent form has been solid but hardly dizzying, finishing tied for 10th place at the Memorial Tournament but only able to finish 29th at last week's St Jude Classic. At this early point in McIlroy's career, brilliance is always possible - and never guaranteed.
Not so long ago, Dubliner Padraig Harrington might have seemed a safer bet. The 38-year-old won two Opens and a PGA Championship in the space of 18 months, but Harrington's game has fallen off a little since those heady times; he's had three top 10 finishes this year, and tied for 16th place at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but he also missed the cut at the Masters.
Harrington has made it clear he wants to add to his collection of major trophies, but on current form he looks a longshot for the win here - and of course, longshots sometimes pay off.
Nonetheless, the patriotic punter looking to back a European for success this week may prefer to consider the English options. Surely Westwood and co can't perform any more disappointingly than the national football team, after all?
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