Two of Europe's legends
are poised to attempt to do what the multi-millionaire "Young Guns" such as Phil
Mickelson, David Duval and Ernie Els have all failed to do - halt Tiger Woods.
Last year as the 25-year-old Woods swept all before him, Nick Faldo, with six
Majors to his name, and Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, looked to
be in the twightlight of their careers.
Faldo, 43, had not won
since the 1994 Alfred Dunhill Open and making cuts had become his priority. Langer,
43, was up and down but never in contention.
But 2001 has seen a transformation
as the two European legends have suddenly rediscovered their games.
Last week Langer failed
by only a shot to win the St Jude Classic in Memphis, losing to Bob Estes. Faldo,
who has suddenly become "Mr Nice Guy" after years of being "Mr Difficult" also
finished in the top 10.
It was a perfect performance
only a week before the US Open at the sweltering Southern Hills course.
Langer has been concentrating
on the US Tour this season and his form is returning to near his best as he makes
the most of the near ideal conditions on the America tour.
For the German born Langer,
the US Open has never been a happy hunting ground. In 16 outings he has failed
to make the cut 10 times and his best performance, a fourth place finish, was
14 years ago.
But Langer, a premium iron-player,
should be in his element here this week where long irons will play a key role.
Faldo has also showed a
dramatic improvement this year and is even eying a spot in the European Ryder
Cup side this September. He has also teamed up again with caddie Fanny Sunesson
who helped him to five of his six Majors - three British Opens and three Masters.
Faldo finished seventh last
year at the US Open at Pebble Beach after missing the cuts in '98 and '99. It
was his best Major performance of the year.
European No.1 Lee Westwood
is still trying to piece his game together after a near two-month layoff after
his wife gave birth to the couple's first child.
Colin Montgomerie arrives
here suffering from a back problem. It was only at the weekend that the burly
Scot decided to make the trip across the Atlantic after seeing a specialist.
Montgomerie has had a love-hate
relationship with the US Open. Two seconds and a third place finish confirm his
game for the tight fairways, wicked rough and fast greens.
But the normally dead straight
driving of Montgomerie has been thrown out of kilt by his back problems and the
Scot knows that missed fairways on a US Open course add up to dropped strokes.
Plus the pressure of never having won a Major is clearly becoming a mental torture
for him and adding to the pressure.
Northern Ireland's Darren
Clarke has not had a happy history at the US Open. Apart from a 10th place finish
in 1999 his previous best was 43rd in 1998.
But if Clarke does not have
the appetite for the championship, his Ryder Cup partner Thomas Bjorn of Denmark
arrives with the knowledge that he is one of the few players in the world to go
head to head with Woods over four rounds and come away victorious.
It happened earlier this
year at the Dubai Classic, and Bjorn walked off the final green knowing that finally
he had the game to beat anyone.
"I'm proud of what I did.
I know if I can beat him I can beat anyone," said Bjorn.
Last season Bjorn was second
in sub-par rounds in the Majors - finishing ahead of Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and
Els. It has given the young Dane a new confidence that he is hoping will pay off
this week.
The jury remains out on
Spain's wonder kid Sergio Garcia, even though he collected his first win on the
US Tour last month.
Tipped as a major threat
to Woods, Garica has never managed to rise to the occasion, but the 21-year-old
certainly has the talent - it is his temperament that raises doubts.
But come Sunday afternoon,
the two elder statesmen in the shape of Faldo and Langer, could well be Europe's
main threat to Woods and his fifth straight Major title.
