PGA Tour: International Players Picking Up Where They Left off in 2011

2011 was certainly the year of the international golfer.

International players won three out of the four majors and finished the year holding the top four spots in the official World Golf Rankings.

All the rage at the start of the 2012 season, at least here in America, was around how American golfers were making a comeback—they had won the first eight PGA Tour events of the year.

NBC’s lead analyst, Johnny Miller, even brought this up during the finals of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.

Heck, some were even going as far as to say that the Americans would be the favorites heading into September’s Ryder Cup matches at Medinah.

There was just one minor problem with this view—the top international players had yet to even make their debut on the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlory has played in just three PGA Tour events and has a second place finish, a third place finish and a win.

Lee Westwood has also played three events on the PGA Tour and has two fourth place finishes and a a tie for 29th.

Luke Donald began his PGA Tour season at the Northern Trust Open after a long offseason layoff due to the birth of his second child and the sudden death of his father.

In his last two events, Donald has a tie for sixth and a win.

The international players really started making their way over to America at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, and since that time, they have managed to win the last three consecutive events with McIlory also reaching the finals of the WGC Accenture Match Play.

The WGC Cadillac Championship, won by British born Justin Rose, saw international players occupying six out of the top seven spots on the leaderboard.

So yes, American golfers won the first eight events on the 2012 PGA Tour season, but that’s like saying that the New York Jets are the best team in the AFC East…until they have to play the New England Patriots.

We’re now heading into the meat of the golf season and the international golfers, the Europeans in particular, are rolling full steam ahead.

And the big question for American golf fans should be who is going to stop them?

Tiger Woods? Possibly, if he regains his health (mental and physical) and putting stroke.

Phil Mickelson? He might have a big win here and there left in him, but he’s likely entering the twilight years of his career.

Steve Stricker? Unlikely.

Matt Kuchar? Doubtful.

Webb Simpson? Highly doubtful.

Dustin Johnson? Well, he’ll first need to learn how to play the game from 100 yards in.

Keegan Bradley? Possibly.

Although he already has a PGA Championship title to his name, Bradley appears to be becoming more and more fidgety each time he’s in contention on Sunday, so he’ll certainly have to take care of that before going after his next major championship title.

International golfers currently occupy eight of the top 10 spots in the World Golf Rankings, and that is unlikely to change any time soon.

In fact, there’s a decent chance that we will see international players occupy all of the top 10 spots in the World Golf Rankings before the 2012 season is out.   

Whereas 40 years ago America was the center of the golfing universe and international players were just struggling to make their mark, today the golfing universe is highly international and American golfers are struggling to simply keep their heads above water.

If America contained young talents such as McIlory, Martin Kaymer, Ryo Ishikawa, Matteo Manassero, Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel, the future may look bright.

But the fact of the matter is that America’s two dominate stars from the 1990s and 2000s—Woods and Mickelson—are entering the twilight of their careers, so who is Americas next great hope?

Your guess is as good as mine.

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