Posted by John Anderson
These Blokes are Good.
Seriously, Tim Finchem may have to change some of the copy and catch phrases on the PGA Tour's marketing campaign.
Stuart Appleby's win at the Shell Houston Open was the fifth title of the year by an Aussie and the second in as many weeks. Appleby's victory followed Aaron Baddeley's breakthrough at the Verizon Heritage. Rod Pampling (Bay Hill), Geoff Ogilvy (Accenture Match Play) and Appleby again (Mercedes) have also taken ironing board-sized paychecks to the bank in 2006. Oh, and did I mention Paul Gow won the Nationwide stop last week? He did.
That's an awful lot of g'days at the course.
I have no problem with this and I don't believe any other American does, either. After all, we Americans seem to have acquired a taste for the finer things Australian: kangaroos, Paul Hogan, a nice Shiraz, Men at Work, and Bloomin' Onions. And I'm told ladies enjoy the accents.
But how is it Aussies seem to be thick on the ground at every tour stop and all up and down the money list these days?
Two words: Greg Norman.
What we're witnessing here is The Sociology of The Shark.
A collection of seasoned Aussie pros saw the Shark swim ashore in America, win tournaments, make a fortune and become a worldwide brand. All the guys -- Appleby, Baddeley, Pampling, Oglivy, Gow, Robert Allenby, Peter Lonard, Nick O'Hearn, even sometime Shark-basher Mark Hensby and the rest of the Waltzing Matildas -- are part of the Greg Norman generation. He could do it. They can do it.
Yes, Australia has a rich history in the game with the likes of Peter Thomson who gave way to David Graham who ushered in Norman and his contemporaries Wayne Grady, Steve Elkington and Ian Baker Finch. But Norman is the touchstone for the current crop of pros lining their pocket with millions of American eucalyptus leaves.
And while the Aussies have made their mark on the tour, now it's time for them to make their mark in the majors. No golfer from the land of koalas has won a major since Steve Elkington's win at the PGA Championship in 1995. That's a lot of talent and a drought of more than a decade.
Historically, the British Open and the PGA are the best bets for Aussie success (David Graham has the country's only win in a U.S. Open and its never produced a Masters winner), but unless they start showing big in golf's biggest events, The Sociology of the Shark will be even more pronounced in their careers. Great players, rich men, a bushel of tour wins, but disappointments when measured in terms of majors. For all his greatness and third-round leads and top-10 finishes, Norman won just two Claret Jugs.
That might not seem terribly fair but that's the Sociology of the Bear and the Tiger.
