So you thought Australian
men's professional golf was in a healthy state, right?
Well think again, because an analysis of the world rankings shows that the overall
standard of Australian golf in relation to the rest of the world has actually
deteriorated over the past six years.
Consider that at the end
of 1994, eight Australians were among the world's top 100 players, according
to the rankings.
This included No.2 Greg
Norman, who at the time was on his way back to top spot.
Now, only six Australians
are in the top 100, with nobody in the top 25.
Going deeper into the rankings,
there were 22 Australians in the top 200 at the end of '94, compared to 18 at
present.
These figures don't reveal
a dramatic difference, but they do shatter the myth that Australian golf is going
from strength to strength.
And looking at the major
championships, which is where performances count most, no Australian has won
since Steve Elkington at the US PGA Championship in 1995.
Sure, Greg Norman, Craig
Parry and Elkington have all had chances since then, but 17 majors have come
and gone without an Australian victor.
Even worse, no Australian
made the cut at last year's US PGA Championship, the first time that had happened
in a major in some four decades.
And on the US Tour, where
the best golf is played, only three Australians have won in the past six years
- Norman, Elkington and Stuart Appleby.
Indeed, Appleby stands
out as the lone overwhelming success story in this period.
Six years ago he was unranked,
but now he is 27th, the best-placed Australian.
But look at his good mate
Robert Allenby. He was ranked 48th at the end of '94, but now stands 108th, despite
a promising start to the year.
Brett Ogle, Rodger Davis
and Roger Mackay were also in the top 100 at the end of '94, but all are way
below 200 now.
The rankings of Elkington,
Craig Parry, Brad Hughes and Lucas Parsons remain much the same as they were
six years ago.
Peter O'Malley has improved
from 148th to 88th, but has pretty much plateaued the past few years, unable
to rise any higher because of mediocre putting.
The other Australian to
break into and remain in the top 100 in the past six years is Stephen Leaney,
who at the end of '94 was outside the top 200.
Of course, with players
from every continent except Antarctica in the top 100, golf is a true international
sport, where it's impossible for any one country, even the US, to completely
dominate.
But the fact remains that
there's not much to show for all of Australia's junior development programs,
both government-sponsored and private.
Then again, perhaps we
should focus instead on women's golf, where Australia, in Karrie Webb, clearly
has the world's best player.
