BETHESDA – Credit the late Seve Ballesteros for helping spark global golf talent to the point that Americans have now been unable to produce a major champion for a record five tournaments in a row.
That’s the thinking of US 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love, the 47-year-old American veteran who found himself among the top Americans at the US Open on Sunday after top-rated US players Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson struggled.
Spanish legend Ballesteros inspired talent worldwide with his stylish flair and imaginative shotmaking, joining Bernhard Langer in showing a previous generation that American talent was not invincible in majors on US soil.
“I think you can give Seve a lot of credit, Seve and Bernhard Langer, for letting the Europeans realize that they can work hard and come over here and compete with the Americans,” Love said.
“The world is a smaller place, so I think we’re going to have to get used to it. Look at the leaderboard every week on (the US PGA) tour. It’s a third US and a third European and then a third Asian or South African, Australian guys.”
Except for 1994 when no American won a major, there had never been a run of four majors without at least one US winner. Now the drought is five. And counting.
“Everything goes in streaks,” Love said. “We might be talking about how four Americans win the next four. We don’t look at it that way. We’re just playing the course. We don’t play nationalities. We’re playing golf and trying to win.”
With 22-year-old Northern Ireland prodigy Rory McIlroy winning the US Open by eight strokes on Sunday with a record-low total score, the world’s four top-ranked players are all from Europe.
World No. 1 Luke Donald of England and new No. 4 McIlroy play in Europe while England’s second-ranked Lee Westwood and No. 3 Martin Kaymer of Germany spend plenty of time in US tour events.
“I guess a little bit of an exception with Lee Westwood, but most of them are guys that are over here playing a lot, week in and week out,” Love said. “Rory, I guess we’ve seen him a lot in the last year.”
Love said that comparing McIlroy to a young Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner who has not won in 20 months and who missed the US Open with a left knee injury, or young Jack Nicklaus, who won a record 18 majors, is an apt move — but hold off handing McIlroy 15 or 20 majors just yet.
“He’s an incredible talent. We’ve known that from a young age,” Love said. “It’s fair for a start. It’s like comparing Tiger to Jack early. Will he beat Jack’s record? That’s not a fair comparison until you get done with your career.”
McIlroy is just getting warmed up, along with a lot of 20-something from beyond the US boarders like Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, reigning British Open champion Louis Ooosthuizen of South Africa or 2010 PGA Championship winner Kaymer.
Americans very nearly went without a player in the top five at a US Open for the first time in 111 tournaments, but unheralded Kevin Chappell fired a 66 and Robert Garrigus shot 70 on the final day to nab a share of third with Westwood and South Korean Yang Yong-Eun.
Mickelson had the worst four-day total by any major champion, finishing on 291. Stricker was on 283, two strokes behind Love and 15 adrift of McIlroy.
“If it’s Kevin Chappell that shoots 17-under or Rory, it doesn’t make any difference to me,” Love said. “I got whipped.”