U.S. dealt yet another challenge

Back in 1986 when Jack Nicklaus was taking on the world for his sixth green jacket, international players were lumped into a simple category: "foreigners."

This was the classic on-air exchange during the final round between on-course analyst Steve Melnyk and the first "foreigner" to don a green jacket, Gary Player:

"Gary, do you like seeing these foreigners taking charge here?" Melnyk asked.

"Well, Steve, I don't know," Player said from the Butler Cabin studio. "I don't believe in the word 'foreigners.' 'Cause I think we're all just golfers playing around the world."

On the 50th anniversary of Player's breaking down the international barrier at Augusta National Golf Club, it seems appropriate that golfers from all around the world have taken ownership of the Masters Tournament. For the first time in the history of the Masters, not a single American is among the top five heading into Sunday's final round. In fact, none are among the top seven.

Five continents are represented by five players tied for second or better. Rory McIlroy (Europe) leads the field by four. On his tail are Angel Cabrera (South America), Charl Schwartzel (Africa), K.J. Choi (Asia) and Jason Day (Australia). Only North America and Antarctica are left out in the cold, and Antarctica is pretty used to that status.

The odds are pretty strong that for the first time since 1994, the United States won't have a grip on a single one of the major championship trophies at the same time. Talk about slammed.

Surprising? Yes.

Unbelievable? Hardly.

"America is a big place, but the world is bigger," said Schwartzel, the 26-year-old South African. "We are the majority, I think. There's a lot of guys out there these days that can play good golf."

Player was right when he slapped down Melnyk's term. Golf has always been a global game. America has produced many of its greatest practitioners, but it's never held a monopoly.

That grows more apparent every year as international players take over the top 50 in the world rankings.

"There's a lot being made of this, but one of the reasons that the rest of the world is becoming better players is because of the opportunities that the PGA Tour is giving them," said Chubby Chandler, the former European Tour golfer who is the agent for McIlroy and Schwartzel.

Chandler thinks far too much is being made of the Americans being edged out at the moment.

"Everybody shouldn't be focusing on the fact that they're all from other countries," he said. "Golf's in great shape. They're all great young kids who respect the game. Charl's an absolute junkie; Rory the same way; Day the same way; Rickie Fowler -- they're all great people. I think you should be focusing on that more than where they come from. Everybody is forgetting about the game. Everybody is worrying about where they come from."

It's a small world, and golf is making it smaller. Kids such as McIlroy, Day and Fowler tooled around Augusta for the first two rounds tearing up the course and joking with each other like they were playing a friendly match on junior day at the club. This "U.S. against the world" theme really only applies during Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.

"They're all going out there, and they're all talking to each other on the way 'round," Chandler said. "That didn't happen 10 years ago."

Not that Americans don't have a chance today. Bo Van Pelt is in eighth and Bubba Watson is tied for ninth with former Masters winners Tiger Woods and Fred Couples, only seven shots off the lead. Stranger things have happened.

In the end, golf wins even if America doesn't. Since 2006, every golfing continent has won at least one major.

McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland, knows he has his hands full with the world chasing him.

"It's an international leaderboard and it makes it exciting," he said.

In this day and age, there's nothing foreign about that.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 orscott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.