Mickelson's Masters win leaves Europe's best in the shade
This was the Masters where the USA's mightiest stars were supposed to be toppled, where the international interlopers were set to steal in and spoil the party.
The world top 10 golf rankings this year have seen the same three Americans at the top of the rankings, true, but there's also been a number of Europeans jockeying for position, the English trio of Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter occupying No. 4, six and seven in the week before the tournament. With Phil Mickelson misfiring and Tiger facing other troubles, 2010 looked like an ideal opportunity for a European player to score a major victory at Augusta.
As it turned out, this year's event provided a fairy-tale finish for Mickelson, his legion of fans and not least his family, Mickelson tearfully embracing his wife Amy, who is currently fighting breast cancer, after the win.
That scene also offered something of a morality tale for Tiger Woods, who finished in fourth place. Woods was graceless in the post-match interview, speaking drearily only of his disappointment when most men playing in his circumstances would have recognised that a fourth place finish was a fine achievement.
A tip of the hat to Mickelson's victory might well have improved Woods' perception in the public eye, but perhaps that would have seemed an indignity too far for the World No. 1; more likely, that small act of humility and generosity probably just didn't occur to Tiger.
Enough about Woods for now, though; where does Mickelson's Masters victory leave Europe's brightest stars? Lee Westwood struggled manfully to second place after leading on the final day, the Englishman doing little wrong in his pursuit of a first major. But Mickelson was in fearless form on Sunday, no doubt buoyed by that remarkable sequence at Amen Corner the day before. The Californian had produced two eagles in a row and might have had a third on the next hole, his pitch missing the hole by inches.
But with eight Englishmen in the field, apart from Westwood, most failed to impress. Ian Poulter had shared the lead with Westwood after the second day, but as the tournament progressed his challenge fell away, Poulter eventually finishing in 10th position. And no other Englishman even made the cut.
Paul Casey was amongst that number, despite being well fancied to impress after several top-10 finishes earlier this year; perhaps Casey was living up to former Open champion Johnny Miller 's description of the 32-year-old as "the biggest underachiever in golf."
But it's not just the English players who were found wanting. Padraig Harrington is a three-time major winner (though never at the Masters) and was ranked No. 10 in the world the week before the Masters, but his challenge here quickly faded too, the Dubliner missing the cut with two rounds of 74 and 75.
More alarming was Rory McIlroy's woeful showing; the Ulsterman has dropped from No. 9 to No. 12 in the world in recent weeks. But, at Augusta, McIlroy missed the cut, seven-over-par for the two days he played. McIlroy has had a tough year, with speculation that a back injury could take a real toll on the 20-year-old's career, while his showings in recent tournaments have also been disappointing.
Europeans from further afield performed similarly disappointingly, too; Germany's Martin Kaymer was ranked No. 9 in the world before the tournament, but he too could only finish on five-over, missing the cut.
Perhaps we're being too demanding. In the history of the competition, only 10 men from outside the United States have won, just five of whom who are Europeans (Spain's José María Olazábal being the last to do so - the others are Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo and Germany's Bernhard Langer).
Local advantage at the Masters is a factor, of course - Mickelson is intimately familiar with Augusta. But isn't it possible that perhaps this crop of European players just isn't as potent a force as the world rankings would suggest?
If so, that's an ominous prospect for Colin Montgomerie. The Scot gears up to captain Europe to victory against the Americans in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor this October, and will be hoping the likes of McIlroy and Kaymer will be able to rise to the big occasion, rather than slinking apologetically away when it really counts.
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