Europeans' success at St Andrews shows US dominance is over

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON at St Andrews
"Spanked by the Yanks" is the sort of pithy tabloid headline that tells the history of the Open since Arnold Palmer led the first invasion in 1961.
The Americans have run their tanks through St Andrews and other quaint towns on the British coast and looted at will.
There were occasional pockets of resistance led by freedom fighters such as Seve Ballesteros and Sir Nick Faldo, but they did not last. Our American friends have won 11 Opens in the past 15 years and six of the previous eight at St Andrews. They have owned the Europeans, as they say in Paris, Texas.
The times they are a changing. Big John Daly, the winner here in 1995, strode down the final fairway in his stars and stripes pants this afternoon, but they seemed like a salesman's trick. America has not flown the flag this week. It has been a parade of Europeans, four of who finished in the top five, led by a South African bandmaster.
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie emerged from the Valley of Sin by the final green only too happy to talk about his prospective European team. He was buoyant about how well his men were playing and hopeful that Paul Casey would play his way into the team. Montgomerie said: "I don't want to have to waste my picks on world stars like Paul Casey."
There have been times in the past few days when the Open has resembled a European Tour event. Young Americans such as Sean O'Hair, Nick Watney and Jeff Overton have skirted the fringes of the leaderboard, but not one American could make the top five, a shocking result given their success over the years.
Their leader has also fallen. Tiger Woods used to have the freehold on St Andrews, but yesterday he was just another American passing through. There is no guarantee he will even turn up at Celtic Manor in October given his distaste for the Ryder Cup. Woods has constantly evaded references to the event.
American captain Corey Pavin would be secretly happy if Woods does stay away. He can then make Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover part of a team. Glover played with Woods yesterday and was round in 76. He never looked comfortable. Woods's cool has won him many a major, but his never ignited America's Ryder Cup team.
Graeme McDowell's victory at the US Open and three other British victories in the States within a month suggest a shift in power. Lee Westwood looked at the head of the American Tour during a dinner speech last Tuesday and said: "It's always nice to see an American win on your tour." It was a sly reference to Steve Stricker's recent victory at a tournament short of Europeans.
"They're not going to be happy, are they?" said Ian Poulter. "If you look at the winners on their tour over the last few weeks, four out of five have been European â " and Justin [Rose] should have won the other one.
"Our guys are going over there and winning week in, week out. It's great. I love it. It really fires things up for the Ryder Cup – even more passion will be spilt out over Celtic Manor. I can't wait."
You can understand Poulter's enthusiasm, but Montgomerie will be wary of Europe being cast as super favourites. The Americans have regularly turned up with the better golfers over the previous 20 years and been beaten.
In 1999 and 2001 the Europeans thrashed the Americans in two Walker Cups in a row, the amateur equivalent of the Ryder Cup. That generation is now coming to its peak. Casey led the first victory and had his chance to win this week's Open until that horrible treble bogey on the 12th. McDowell was part of the 2001 team and is now a major winner.
Poulter says: "The American guys who have won all the tournaments over the past few years are getting older. The talent to replace them is very young and needs a bit more experience. We have a 15-year window.
"The Americans have a gap and that gap is being filled by Europeans, guys who are in their late twenties, early thirties and who are doing the job right now."

OPEN THOUGHT FOR THE DAY (from the Editor)
If they wanted to toughen up one of the closing holes on the Old Course for the Open, why didn't the RandA do something about the 18th - surely the easiest finishing hole in Major championship golf. Encircle it with one huge deep bunker - and that would stop them having a go for the green from the tee.