COMMUNITY

Community  /  Blog  /  Major's - USA vs. The World
Major's - USA vs. The World
Updated: 11/3/2015 7:50:35 AM

 There is a lot of talk recently about how the USA has lost ground to the Europeans and the rest of the world in general. And more specifically, how this loss of stature has been influnced by the absence of one American golfer in particular. Out of curiosity, I started playing around with some numbers on a spreadsheet to see if this was a justifiable point of view. 

I really looks to me as though the golden age of American domination may have ended sometime after 1981. This is quite some time before a certain multiple-major winner came upon the scene. Rather than draw any conclusions right off the bat, I thought perhaps I would present the data and see what conclusions you may wish to draw on your own.

______________________________________________________________________________________

The first Major Championship played was The Open in 1860, followed by the U.S. Open in 1895. It would not be until 1911 however that John McDermott would become the first American to win a major championship at the U.S. Open. From 1860 to 1921 the record stood at USA-10 The World-73.

For simplicity's sake, I have broken the ensueing years into 3 thirty year eras. 1921-1951, 1951-1981, and 1981-2011. I am interested in two things. How many majors are claimed by the USA vs. The World in total, and how may multiple-major winners are there from each.  The second catagory is intended to reveal which players could be identified as "Dominant" through those years.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Years USA/Non USA

2001-2011 21/19

1991-2001 24/16

1981-1991 26/14

1971-1981 32/8

1961-1971 32/8

1951-1961 31/9

1941-1951 23/5 (WWII)

1931-1941 30/6 (WWII & Masters)

1921-1931 26/4

1912-1921 9/7 (WWI & PGA)

1902-1911 1/19

1892-1901 0/17 (US Open)

1860-1891 0/30

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

ERA I
   
Years 1921-1951

USA Non USA
 
Hogan-6 Locke-2
Jones-7 Cotton-3
Nelson-5
Wood-2
Shute-3
Sarazen-7
Picard-2
Smith-2
Demaret-3
Diegel-2
Dutra-2
Runyan-2
Guldahl-3
Snead-4
Armour-3
Hagan-9
 

______________________________________________________________________________________

ERA II
   
Years  1951-1981

USA Non USA
 
Palmer-7 Locke-2
Hogan-3 Graham-2
Casper-3         Player-9
Middlecoff-2         Thomson-5
Stockton-2         Ballesteros-2
Ford-2         Jacklin-2
Irwin-2
Burke-2
Nicklaus-17
Miller-2
Boros-3
Trevino-5
Floyd-2
Snead-3
Watson-5
 

______________________________________________________________________________________

ERA III
   
Years  1981-2011

USA Non USA
 
Crenshaw-2         Cabrera-2
Strange-2 Langer-2
Daly-2         Els-3
Nelson-3 Norman-2
Janzen-2 Olazabal-2
O'Meara-2         Faldo-6
Stewart-3 Price-3
Mickelson-4         Harrington-3
Floyd-2         Goosen-2
Woods-14         Lyle-2
Watson-3 Ballesteros-3
                Singh-3
 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 
Clearly for the 30 years between 1921 and 1951, ERA I, the American players OWNED! major golf. Even taking out the most dominant golfer of the era, Hagan, does little to alter the lopsided total. Also, the number of multiple-major winners is clearly tilted severly in the USA's favor during this time. In ERA II however, the situation begins to change and I think we can see the beginings of a better quality World player. More multiple winners as well as a higher total in the win column. Taking out the dominant USA player, Nicklaus, still isn't enough to balance out the bottom line,  but the percentage would change more in their favor.
 
It is in the last 30 years that a clear shift in the balance of power begins to make itself noticable! The World actually has more multiple-major winners, and taking out the total of the dominant American has a larger 
effect on the final tally. What I did not factor in at this time is the relative number of single major winners on each side and how that affect the overall win total. Again, I'm not sure what, if any, conclusions can reached based on this data. I'd be curious to know what conclusions some of you may draw.

 

 

 


59 Views   10 Likes   I like it!
Comments (22)

LukeTuzinski 7/20/2011 6:40:18 PM
Very good stuff Otterman! What jumps out right away to me is that the "World" has not produced an era dominant player. The US has alwas had the flagship player in each generation. I think with the balance we see today, whatever side develops the flagship player will claim golf supremecy. It might be McIlroy for them, I'm not sure who it could be for us but I think it is just as likely that it is Woods than someone else. I also think the days of anybody getting over 5 Majors are over.

PISC 7/20/2011 7:05:52 AM
Interesting numbers, thanks!

ROBERT MARSHALL 7/20/2011 6:45:58 AM
Hi Guys we must give them a break? We have more golfers than anyone country or group of Nations?

I remind the World that the USA is just people from all over the world.A melting pot?

I do not see the Nationalism in the USA as much as in the World. We can go two thousand miles and still be in God's country. People of the World can go 5 miles in any direction and be in another country or two.

The Brits HAD to let the Spanish play to win anything,check that out.

And yes they ALL move to the USA for money,freedom and less taxes.??????

Sam Snead went to the British Open and won. Asked if he would return ? No, It cost me more to get here than I won. He never returned to play in the Bristish Open.

In a European tour tournament you might find players without caddies pulling a cart

they put that on TV?????? You might find 100 people there to watch them play.

You should hear what the World has to say about the ever controling Americans

One general said the only land we ever ask for was land to bury our dead that saved them.

I say stay home and play golf.If you ever go to a British open you will not complain about your club.

Robert Marshall


Keith Brady 7/19/2011 10:10:12 PM
Really well done and a great read, Otterman! If I can add a little more food for thought: despite the American-born players not hoisting many major championship trophies (or donning green jackets) in a few tourneys, our players are consistently in the top ten and contending for these championships.

Might think it's only a matter of time that someone breaks through (I'm looking at you, Dustin Johnson) and wins.

JohnBarree 7/19/2011 9:03:56 PM
You missed one for Trevino and one for Tom Kite.

JohnBarree 7/19/2011 8:58:13 PM
Man, great research. Can you break it down by state?

mickchild 7/19/2011 8:28:26 PM
Good work, man. Interesting results!

cogolfer1 7/19/2011 6:10:57 PM
Who's Raymond Flolyd? LOL.

txgal72 7/19/2011 2:00:23 PM
Are you calling Non-USA based on nationality alone? Don't some of those guys live here - make USA their home? Very nice stats - interesting to see it all organized like that.

BUCKNUT 7/19/2011 1:17:58 PM
I don't understand why it is always USA v's the World? Why not go USA v's Mexico or Australia, China, Japan. Figure out Northern Ireland v's the World......Is the World losing ground on Northern Ireland. I think so! Lol

OtterMan08 7/19/2011 12:39:05 PM
Almost forgot to add, if you toss out The Open Championship numbers, which the USA has won only 41 out of 140 times, the numbers favor the USA even more heavily across the board!