Is American Dominance of Golf Dwindling?
(Continued) Still, perhaps the best evidence of this shift from American dominance comes at La Costa. The ratio of Americans to Europeans in 1999 was 40-11. Now it is 25-17, and Europe lost one when Thomas Bjorn of Denmark withdrew with a sore neck (Sergio Garcia previously was replaced by Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland). “We’re catching up,” Colin Montgomerie said. “I think we had a particularly good year the last two years, especially in Europe, where a lot of the young guys and a lot of guys that had potential have now come through. It’s one thing showing potential, but it’s another proving it. All the players deserve this spot here.” Perhaps of greater concern to U.S. golf is the emergence of young players. The best young players on the PGA Tour carry international passports — Garcia of Spain, Adam Scott of Australia, even Rory Sabbatini of South Africa, whose victory in the Nissan Open was his third on the PGA Tour. No American under the age 30 has more than two PGA Tour vic
