register to 888sport
888sport time:

Featured Sport News

Europe's golden generation

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 15/04/2009

Last week's Masters hinted at a worrying trend in European golf as the continent's golden generation started off another season without seriously challenging for a Major championship.

For years the likes of Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty, David Howell and Sergio Garcia have been heralded as the future of European golf and the most likely group of players in the world to dominate at the Majors according to online betting experts.

But worryingly, these twenty somethings are steadily turning 30 and their combined Major haul still stands at precisely zero.

Graeme McDowell, who is a few years younger than his more high-profile peers, was the top European at Augusta.

The 29-year-old from Northern Ireland shot rounds of 69, 73, 73, 69 to finish in a tie for 17 place alongside Aaron Baddeley on Sunday.

But for a while in the closing hours of the Masters, it looked like 51-year-old Sandy Lyle would fly the flag for Europe.

Lyle, who won the Masters 21 years ago in 1988, shot consistent rounds of 72, 70, 73, 71 to finish at two under par and in a share for 20th place.

Ultimately he was joined on that mark by Casey, Rose and Poulter as all three improved on their opening rounds over the weekend.

However, the abiding memory one has of this year's Masters is the sheer potential of Rory McIlroy.

The 19-year-old was also among the group which finished at two under and most observers are already predicting a Major championship for the prodigious talent.

So is it now the case that McIlroy has superseded his more experienced compatriots in the Major running and did Augusta National witness a changing of the guard?

It would perhaps be too premature to prematurely write off the hopes of the golden generation as the make-up of the play-off contenders on Sunday evening suggests that golfers can be competitive well into their forties.

Eventual winner Angel Cabrera is 39, Chad Campbell 34, while Kenny Perry at 48 was bidding to become the oldest Major champion in history.

Also Nick Faldo, who remains Europe's greatest ever player, did not start accumulating his six career Major titles until he had rebuilt his swing in his early 30s.

Europe's current number one, Padraig Harrington, was also Major-less until he won the 2008 Open Championship aged 35.

So perhaps the Major boat has not yet sailed for Europe's golden generation.

However, the engines have certainly started and the gang-plank is beginning to be removed.

online betting