The last time it happened was in March 1992, but the seemingly unparalleled achievement of Europe’s previous golden generation in occupying the top four positions in the Official World Golf Ranking has been equalled today by a new and massively ambitious band of brothers.
For Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazábal and Seve Ballesteros, now read Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell.
It seems that success does, indeed, breed success as first Kaymer replaced Westwood as official World Number One for the first time and then Donald defeated the German in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship to climb to a career-high third place.
Suddenly, Kaymer is all the rage in his native Germany, where the major newspapers today trumpeted the 26 year old from Düsseldorf as ‘our new golfing giant’ and a ‘golfing titan’ who has taken over the mantle of Tiger Woods.
Following on from The European Tour’s season of outstanding achievement in 2010, Europe’s finest continue to draw inspiration from the Major Championship victories by McDowell and Kaymer as well as a thrilling Ryder Cup victory in Wales.
Only 14 players have scaled the ultimate pinnacle and become Number One in the near 25 year history of the World Ranking. Now Europeans have filled that prized position for the past 18 weeks with first Westwood and now Kaymer sitting proudly on the summit.
In the new Official World Golf Ranking published today, Europeans account for six of the first eight places (Paul Casey seventh and Rory McIlroy eighth) while no fewer than ten Europeans and 12 European Tour Members in total, including South Africans Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, are filling slots within the top 20.
With The European Tour taking a break this week, there is an opportunity in America for Westwood to reclaim top spot (by finishing third or better in the Honda Classic) and for Europeans to fill the top five positions should McIlroy win in Florida. Only once has that scenario happened, also in 1992 when Woosnam, Faldo, Olazábal and Ballesteros were joined by Bernhard Langer in fifth.
Meanwhile Donald, who succeeded fellow Englishman Ian Poulter as the latest winner of a prestigious World Golf Championship, expressed his belief that last year’s achievements have acted as a spur for the rest of The European Tour.
“Having your peers doing exceptionally well does give you inspiration” declared the 33 year old, who beat Kaymer 3 and 2 in Arizona just 24 hours after his Ryder Cup team-mate had been anointed as World Number One.
“It’s a motivator and hopefully we can all keep pushing each other forward.”
He continued: “European golfers have enjoyed a purple patch in the world game lately and it’s great to see. Having Lee as World Number One a few months ago was great, and now we have Martin up there and Graeme’s been playing well and I am just delighted to be a part of it.
“It’s a great feeling to keep this WGC title in English hands. To jump six place in the Ranking from ninth to third feels incredible and in terms of my work ethic and wanting it, I feel I deserve it. It’s fun for the players and fun for the fans as well.”
Almost exactly 25 years since the Official World Golf Ranking came into existence, Germany can lay claim to the first and most recent Number One. In April 1986 it was the redoubtable Langer who captured the coveted Number One spot and stayed there for a further two weeks.
Now, Germany’s newest golfing superstar enjoys the view from the top at the age of 26 and Kaymer insisted: “It is great to have four Europeans at the top of the World Ranking and even better to see my name right at the top of the list.
“It makes me very proud as a European but most of all a German. For so long, Tiger (Woods) and Phil (Mickelson) have been Numbers One and Two, so it’s great for us to change that. Lee, Luke and Graeme have all played consistently well for the past few seasons so hopefully we can stay up the Ranking for a little while yet.”
Kaymer admitted that the enormity of his achievement has not quite sunk in yet. He said: “You might have to ask me in a month! I am going to enjoy it for however long it lasts although it doesn’t feel real at the moment.”
McDowell, the US Open Champion, admitted: “The World Ranking makes very nice reading right now, for me and a lot of other Europeans. If someone had told me that at some point in my career I would be World Number Four I’d be very proud and that’s exactly how I am feeling right now.”
Certainly the world order has changed considerably since 1992, when the soon-to-be Masters Champion Woosnam led the pack from Faldo, Olazábal and Ballesteros with Langer in sixth position behind Fred Couples.
That week, the top 50 consisted of 27 Americans, 12 Europeans and 11 from the rest of the world; today the breakdown shows an equal number of Europeans and Americans – 17 – with 16 from the rest of the world.
