For the first time since its inception in 1972, The European Tour can boast the remarkable feat that two of its Members, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington, respectively hold the US Open and Open Championship titles.
Although Tony Jacklin won the 1969 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes, and then made history when he captured the US Open at Hazeltine 11 months later, those victories came before The European Tour’s creation.
Since Jacklin’s feat there has been a steady stream of Open Champions – Seve Ballesteros (1979, 1984, 1988), Sandy Lyle (1985), Nick Faldo (1987, 1990, 1992) and Paul Lawrie (1999) – and near misses in the US Open, with Faldo (1988) and Colin Montgomerie (1994) finishing second after play-offs. Montgomerie was also runner-up in 1997 and 2006.
Additionally, during the prolific 20 year Major winning period Europeans enjoyed from 1979-1999, Ballesteros (1980, 1983), Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993), Lyle (1988), Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996), Ian Woosnam (1991) and Jose Maria Olazábal (1994, 1999) all won the Masters Tournament.
Major success was being enjoyed on an unprecedented scale – but little did people know when Lawrie won The Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999 that he would be the last European Major winner until the summer of 2007.
Now, after waiting eight years for Europe’s Major drought to end, there are high hopes the floodgates will open for other talented players knocking on the door of Major glory, seeking to emulate some of the all time European greats.
One man who knows all about winning Majors is England’s greatest golfer Faldo, who has six to his name, with three Open Championships and three Masters Tournaments.
Now a golf commentator in America, the 50 year old has watched with great interest and excitement as Europe’s top golfers have broken through in Majors once more.
As the European Tour Membership prepared for the final Major of 2007, the US PGA Championship, Faldo said: "In the last two Majors, you've had Cabrera put himself in there and close out a great win on a really tough, challenging course at Oakmont, and then the unbelievable Open at Carnoustie with Padraig and Sergio going head to head. It was great to see. It shows how strong European golf is.
"We've been talking about it so often – when will we get another European winner? I've been saying it, but you've got to get some experience, and both of them have over the last five years in Majors. I feel you need that.
“Obviously it's part of the process – being able to cope with and see how everything changes, the faces, the eyes, the swings, the emotions. You've got to learn to control that on the back nine in a Major. It's quite unbelievable the emotion that goes on inside of the player."
He added: "When Sandy won The (British) Open in '85, I was hoping to be the next British player after Tony Jacklin. Same with Seve and Augusta. When somebody else does it, you think, 'well, these are the guys I'm playing with, I can beat them on my day.' That can add a big boost."
Faldo, the winner of 30 European Tour tournaments continued: "The Open was a reminder of how strong European golf is and, as Europe's Ryder Cup Captain in 2008, I hope it carries on. That's what I hope. That's what I want. I want the team to be as strong as it was in the past. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes on the European guys while I'm commentating in America.
"I'm around more players than ever before. I'm at the events they are all at. I've got constant kind of access to their scores. I can see who is making good moves more than I ever would have done and seeing who is moving up.
"The guys know what they want to do. If they want to make that team, they will be busting their buns from September on. That's not got a lot to do with me. But the last couple of months, I will be more observant to what's going on to see who my wildcard picks are going to be. It might be a very obvious two picks or a very difficult two picks, I have no idea - I really don't. It might be that 11th and 12th makes sense, or it might go down to 20, the guy who has done something, and is in form."
