Padraig Harrington’s second consecutive major win at the PGA Championship means ¾ of this year’s majors were won by an international player.
Europe has won seven out of the last ten Ryder Cups, the last two of which could be considered a complete massacre.
Had Justin Leonard not made a ridiculous 60-foot putt on the 17th hole in 1999, the European team would have won eight out of the last ten Ryder Cups.
Other than Tiger Woods, who as we all know is a one man force dominating the PGA Tour, the majors have been dominated by international players.
In the past five years, aside from Woods, American golfers have won just four majors—compared to the nine majors won by international players.
In the ten years prior to that, again taking Tiger Woods out of the picture, American golfers won eighteen majors—compared to twelve majors won by their international counterparts.
So what is happening to American golfers?
Is the game becoming more international or are we simply not as good as we once were?
I don’t believe American golfers aren't as good as they once were—but I do believe that the economic dynamics of the world are now being mirrored on the PGA Tour.
Just as the world’s wealth is being dispersed across many more countries, the pool of young international golfers has also been growing.
This has been building up for years now, and it has become increasingly evident that the international contingent on the PGA Tour have at least levelled out with the US contingent—if they have not already surpassed them.
Unfortunately, golf is a luxury almost solely afforded to the middle-class and wealthy segments of the population.
15-20 years ago, the middle-class and wealthy segments of the population in America were significantly larger than any other country in the world. Wealth and prosperity was more widespread in America than just about any other place on the planet.
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