The youngest swingers in town

Sunday, 14 April 1996 was a painful day for Australian golf. But the closing hours of that clammy spring afternoon also dealt a life-sapping blow to the British game. Greg Norman, the shingle-haired Australian, started the dramatic final round of the US Masters six shots clear of his nearest challenger, Nick Faldo. Norman fell apart, never to seriously contest a major again Faldo picked up the pieces and, when the dust had settled, his third green jacket. It was the last time a Briton won one of golfs four majors. Between 1985 and the climax of that Augusta Sunday Faldo was consistently, if not spectacularly, the best golfer in the world English, Welsh and Scottish rivals snapped eagerly at his heels. Across the Atlantic the Americans, long accustomed to dominating the global game, were stuck in the long grass while Britain courtesy of Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam strutted across the fairways. Despite some close calls since 1996 this group have quietly, almost apologetically, slipped away, eclipsed by the shadow of Tiger. Now, seven years on, a new group of British players has emerged to relight the flame. Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Graeme McDowell, Nick Dougherty and Luke Donald. Four Englishmen and an Ulsterman. Five players with the raw energy and the kind of swaggering self-regard more commonly found in Premiership dressing rooms. Loud, fit, fast and wearing better jumpers, these are the talented new breed who will carry the British game into the next decade. All of them are aged 25 or under. Between them they have won five European tour titles and one US PGA title. Not at face value a particularly remarkable statistic until you realise just how and when they achieved these successes. Donald, who is based in America, won his debut US title in his rookie year, the first ever European to do so, and amassed more than $1m from this win alone, including endorsements. McDowell turned professional last year and won shoes the Volvo Scandinavian Masters in Sweden, one of the Tours flagship events, by a single stroke four tournaments later. Dougherty has yet to win, but hes already amassed 10 top 20 finishes in two years on tour Rose and Casey have a pair of wins apiece, and too many close calls to mention. They are all perched on the cusp of great things. Even Faldo, not normally given to hyperbole, has been stabbing around for superlatives. These are the guys who should be contending for the majors in the next five to 10 years, says the winner of six himself. All of them are of a good age and theyre undoubtedly the guys of the future. Its just down to the individual - the big question is, whos going to be the first one to do it Prudence or perhaps a personal interest in one of the five, Dougherty is a Faldo prot233g233 prevents Faldo from attempting to answer his own question. However, the temptation to sound off has proved too strong for some. People are getting carried away, says Justin Rose with a gentle, almost resigned sigh. Winning the odd tournament here and there is fantastic but I dont think anyone can say we as a group are changing the face of the game until we start winning majors. And, lets face it, none of us have yet. We have to prove ourselves on the biggest stage. In other words, promise is one thing, success another. Memories of his own time in purdah after he finished fourth in the 1998 Open aged 17 will make Rose aware of the way in which a great career can slip through a players hands. And he will no doubt remember the fate of Gordon Sherry, the last British player tipped to conquer the world after a glittering amateur career in the early Nineties. Sherry is currently a professional at Cardross Golf Club near Loch Lomond. All he has left of his bright future are the photographs and cuttings. Theres not much cause to dust the trophy cabinet when its empty. The fashion industry never bothered much with golf until recently. Clothing crimes committed by players across five continents and one decade in particular the Seventies was truly an evil time to be a sportsman saw to that. But thats all changing too, thanks in the main to Nike, Adidas and, strangely, Pringle, the original pink and yellow chequered menace. Now it is acceptable, perhaps even desirable, to wear golf gear again. Back in the Seventies it was all getting very messy, says a clearly appalled McDowell. All those V-necks and Farah slacks. McDowell is wearing a grey crew neck jumper and a white polo shirt. In other words, something thats unlikely to have ever adorned the floor of a provincial cinema. And now theres so many guys trying to create their own image. Theres all sorts of stuff coming out of the lockers - strange coloured slacks, tight T-shirts. The tours are full of young, hip guys into looking good. And theyre fit enough to carry it off. I havent actually got a contract with a clothes company ... but Id be pretty interested in one. Rose - courtesy of TaylorMade and Adidas - also admits to taking the time to check that his labels are facing the right way before heading out to the first tee. Im definitely into fashionable clothes, he says, but the real change for me is that big sports brands have made the game more sporty, which appeals to the kids more. Golfs now trendier than its ever been. Dougherty sports a Freddie Ljungberg-style coloured quiff and Casey, self-appointed style guru to the younger players, even has his own list of fashion dos and donts. I have never been tempted by a white belt. Never. But theyre everywhere on tour at the moment. Blame the Swedes! I dont do all-white shoes either. Apart from that, its pretty much anything goes. Were all conscious of how we look out there. Just like any other 20 or 25 year old. Self-belief, unsurprisingly, is not lacking among these tour trailblazers but in some cases, this may not be enough to see them through. Several golf writers have already expressed doubts over the durability of Dougherty given his apparent love of a good night out. Whatever has been said about his temperament, Dougherty, like the others, remains a truly exhilarating presence on the course. Long off the tee, physically strong and fearless of whatever the tours most challenging layouts can throw at them, Dougherty and co really do seem to collectively epitomise the complete modern golfer. Donald, for example, is a man of few words, but if his golfing talent could speak it would talk like a dispatch box veteran

About the Author

Shop at Christian Louboutin UK online shop for high quality cheap Christian Louboutin shoes free shipping at Christian Louboutin Sale Online Store