WHILE the Saltire still flutters over Sawgrass in recognition of Sandy Lyle's victory 21 years ago – the Scot remains the only European golfer to win the $9.5 million Players Championship – the absence this week of any representative from the game's spiritual home at the fifth most prized stroke-play event in the calendar is another reminder of changing fortunes.
No fewer than 55 international golfers from 16 countries including six Englishmen, a Welshman and an Irish representative – the Swedes, with seven, are the most numerous Europeans – will attempt this week-end to pocket the winner's cheque for $1.71m
. The Scots are conspicuous only by their absence.
After three consecutive wins on the European Tour thanks to the efforts of Damien McGrane, Darren Clarke and Peter Lawrie, the golfing force among the Celtic nations now seems to lie with the Irish. Having already twice finished as runner-up in eight previous starts over Pete Dye's course at Sawgrass, Padraig Harrington is as convincing a candidate as any over the next four days to end Europe's drought in north Florida.
The Open champion demonstrated qualities of resilience and heart at Augusta, where he finished in a share of fifth, which some of his younger Ryder Cup team mates would do well to emulate. Harrington's course management skills, solid ball striking and sure touch with the putter all combine to make him a threat at the Players.
Unlike at Carnoustie, however, where Harrington was handicapped by the long gap between European successes in the majors, the Irishman doesn't feel any extra sense of pressure attached to becoming the first player from the other side of the Atlantic since Lyle to win the Players.
"I don't hold the burden that no European has won since Sandy Lyle," he said. "I'm an individual going out here trying to compete against the other 155 guys, and yeah, I'm trying to do it as an individual. I'm not trying to put any sort of (spin] on things that it can't be done."
Although the absence of Tiger Woods, who is recovering from knee surgery, is sure to hurt television ratings in America, the decision to switch the event from a slot before the Masters to a date in May has yet to enhance the status of what's usually a terrific golf tournament around the rest of the world.
The annual debate about whether or not the Players is the fifth major was once cleverly encapsulated by Lyle after he was asked by an American to explain the difference between the Open and the TPC. "About 100 years," he replied.
The Scot later regretted being flippant since his victory in Ponte Vedra (where he now has an American base) was all the more remarkable since his then wife Christine had decided to leave him after the third round of the event.
As she headed back to the UK with their children to begin divorce proceedings, the Scot had to cope with his emotions as well as the challenge of one of the most penal lay-outs in world golf.
To his credit, Lyle holed a huge putt in excess of 40 feet on the home hole to post 70 and earn a spot in the play-off against Jeff Sluman. By the time the men returned to the 18th for the third extra hole, the light was beginning to fade and the Scot couldn't see where he'd landed his 1-iron. His ball was dry, though, and the approach shot came up a few feet shy of the putting surface, adjacent to Sluman's.
The contrast in golfing cultures was epitomised by what happened next: Lyle chose to bump and run the ball with his wedge while Sluman executed a high flop shot. It was the Scot who finished seven or eight feet closer to the cup and holed the putt for a place in Players history.
While Monty would come close to following in Lyle's footsteps in 1996 only to be thwarted by Fred Couples in a thrilling finale, it may be some time before Scotland produces another Sawgrass contender.
As Montgomerie so candidly remarked after also missing out on a berth at the Masters, you have to be in it to win it.
The full article contains 717 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
