Europeans want to reclaim Major status

Padraig Harrington doesn't see a crisis, only an identity.

Until the Irishman was runner-up at The Players Championship two weeks ago, there were no Europeans among the top 10 in the world ranking since it was created in 1986.

``I don't think there's any cause for concern, but at the moment, the standard has dipped a little bit,'' Harrington said. ``To be honest, we don't really deserve to have anybody there. We're not setting the world alight at the moment. We don't have players winning majors.''

It is especially noteworthy at Augusta National, a place where the Europeans have felt right at home.

Starting with Seve Ballesteros' victory in the 1980 Masters, Europeans won more green jackets than Americans during a 20-year stretch. Not only were they in the top 10 in the world, nearly all of them took their turns at No. 1.

Ballesteros. Nick Faldo. Bernhard Langer. Ian Woosnam.

Those guys are all past their prime, waiting for the next generation of Euros to start collecting majors, or at least green jackets.

But it looks as if it might be a while.

None of the current crop -- from Harrington to Darren Clarke to Thomas Bjorn to Lee Westwood -- has seriously contended at the Masters the last four years. Westwood, once ranked as high as No. 4, didn't even qualify this year.

The only trophy of significance Europe owns is the Ryder Cup. Europe and it's collection of unheralded players (Phillip Price, Paul McGinley) have kept the cup six of the last nine times.

But 18 holes of match play is no measure.

The majors are.

``If you don't perform in major championships, you don't deserve to be in the top 10 in the world,'' said Bjorn, the runner-up at the British Open last year after taking three shots to get out of a pot bunker. ``Go out and perform. Go out and show how good you are, and you can talk about it.

``There's one way to get in the top 10, and that's to play well.''

There have been some Europeans who got into the top 10 by doing just that.

Harrington moved up to No. 7 this week after finishing fourth at BellSouth. Clarke, the only player besides Tiger Woods to win multiple World Golf Championships, also has spent time in the top 10. He now is at No. 14.

Still, that only raises questions whether some others deserve a high ranking.

Some Americans -- public, press, players -- believe the world ranking gives too many points for European tour events that have far weaker fields than just about any week on the PGA Tour.

Last week was a good example.

Graeme McDowell and Klas Eriksson received more points by tying for third at the Portugal Open than Lee Janzen and Ben Crane got for their sixth-place finish at the BellSouth Classic.

Even more glaring was the week before.

The Players Championship has the strongest field in golf and is recognized as the fifth major. And yet, someone named Christopher Hanell received as many points for winning the Madeira Open as Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry and Frank Lickliter got for tying for third at Sawgrass.

Brian Davis of England got off to a great start this year. He won the ANZ Championship in Australia, tied for fifth at the Dubai Desert Classic and then tied for third at the Masters -- the Qatar Masters. That put him into the top 50, which made him eligible for The Players Championship.

He missed the cut, but Davis remained in the top 50 -- just barely -- to qualify for the real Masters.

John Huston won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic last year by holding off Shigeki Maruyama. He also finished second in the Phoenix Open behind Vijay Singh, and Huston wound up 42nd on the PGA Tour money list. But he wound up at No. 51 when the cutoff came for Augusta National, and is sitting this Masters out.

Is that fair?

Europeans will argue that it's tough to win anywhere, although the argument is hollow when they come to the United States, play against stronger fields and rarely hold the trophy.

Colin Montgomerie, who once climbed as high as No. 2 in the ranking, won a record seven consecutive money titles on the European tour. He has never won on the PGA Tour. Then again, Montgomerie has played only 51 non-majors in the United States since 1992.

``We've got to get used to courses, get used to different conditions that we haven't really grown up with playing in Europe,'' Clarke said.

Take Woods out of the equation, and not many Americans have won in their infrequent trips overseas. It's not easy to show up in another part of the world, where everything from the golf course to transportation to the food is different, and find any level of comfort.

Everyone is usually on equal footing at the majors. Augusta National is a home game for everyone, and the environment at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship stays the same despite different courses each year.

That's what makes the majors so important for Europeans to show their worth.

They have a fine collection of young players -- Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Fredik Jacobson, Sergio Garcia.

But until they win a major, European respect in these parts will be hard to find.