Sarah Stirk
Although this year’s Masters won’t go down as a classic, there were enough compelling storylines to keep most of us glued to the TV for four days. One thing I particularly enjoyed was seeing Danny Willett’s name near the top of a Major leaderboard again after his struggles with injury and form. His win in 2016 has been unfairly labelled as a bit of a fluke by some, especially in the States where their focus was more on Jordan Spieth’s meltdown, but people forget he was 12th in the world at the time and playing some fantastic golf.
That year was also notable for the fact we had six UK players finish in the top ten. At the time, it felt like we were in the middle of a golden age for UK golf and the Majors would keep on coming. Willett’s win made it eight in seven years for UK players and we had Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Rory Mcilroy all at World No.1 during that time. However, fast forward six years and we’re still waiting for the next Major triumph. If you compare the world rankings, we had 16 players in the top 100 going into that Masters but only ten today, with five of those aged over 40.
So, where is the next UK Major Champion going to come from in the men’s game? The obvious answer is Mcilroy, especially after his free-wheeling 64 in the final round at Augusta. But it felt like the usual story for Rory to come up on the rails from a poor start and ultimately miss out on top spot. Since his US PGA win at Valhalla in 2014, he is a combined 35-over in Major first rounds, compared with 68-under for the rest of the week. It’s obvious where the problem lies, but changing that pattern seems to be proving elusive at the moment.
Elsewhere, it feels like some of our top prospects have stalled a bit of late. Tommy Fleetwood has been runner-up at The Open and the US Open and is showing signs of recapturing his best form, but he’s still yet to win on the PGA Tour. Matt Fitzpatrick is only 27 and has the game to push on to the next level, but he’s another one who’s struggled a bit over in the US. Then we have Tyrrell Hatton, who has a PGA Tour title under his belt but his fiery temperament can sometimes work against him. I know he’s been working hard to try and calm his emotions on the course and maybe that’s been a bit of a distraction recently. He’s gritty and determined and has a putting stroke that holds up under pressure. I definitely feel he’s a Major Champion in waiting.
But why are there comparatively so few names to throw into the mix these days? I think a big reason is the sheer quality on show on the PGA Tour. You just have to look at the dominant Ryder Cup display to see how many good young American players there are. They come out of college ready to win, which wasn’t really the case ten years ago. This makes it harder for players who break through in Europe to contend as the level of competition just doesn’t compare at the moment. When you mix with the very best week-in week-out, you pick up their habits and this helps you learn how to win.
I think you also have to factor in how hard it is to compete on both tours. I remember Martin Kaymer telling me how difficult he found it to settle Stateside and Matt Wallace is another who says how tough it is to juggle life at home with playing over there. Players like Westwood, Justin Rose, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter had the luxury of honing their games on the European Tour and building up enough funds to then base themselves over in the States and have a proper go at it. Youngsters such as Bob Macintyre or Sam Horsfield, both great players with vast potential, need to be out competing with the very best to elevate their games further, but that’s easier said than done. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Europe’s best two young players, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland, are both products of the American college system and have settled lives over there.
I don’t mean to sound too negative about our prospects, because I do think we have some world-class young talent in this country. Maybe the 150th Open will inspire a home victory and get the good times rolling again.
“After a six-year drought, who will be the next UK player to win a men’s Major?”