Rafael Nadal has been the leading light in the last fifteen tennis Slams, capturing seven. Roger Federer’s won four, Novak Djokovic three, and Juan Martin del Potro one.
Basically, just three players have dominated the tennis circuit, with del Potro mainly on the injured list since he won the 2009 US Open.
But it’s a vastly different story on the golf circuit, with 15 different major champions in succession, the last seven all first-timers.
Starting with the 2008 Masters: Trevor Immelman, Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink, YE Yang, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, and Keegan Bradley, the newly-crowned US PGA Champion.
That is an astonishing stat, including just five Americans in the 15, with a drought of six successive majors without an American champion.
The 25 year-old Bradley was the bolter, becoming only the third golfer to win a major on debut, after Francis Ouimet took out the 1913 US Open, and Ben Curtis the 2003 British Open. And he was the first major winner with a broomstick putter.
Bradley’s life has changed forever, befitting a golfer with ticker.
He was gone for all money when he tripled the 15th on the final day, down by four shots to compatriot Jason Dufner with four to play.
But Dufner made three bogeys on the trot, while Bradley sunk a monster 40-foot curling birdie putt on 17, and it was three-hole aggregate score play-off time.
Bradley went birdie, par, par – Dufner par, bogey, birdie. Bradley was home by a shot because he held his nerve.
While Bradley was a combination of tears and unbridled excitement, one wonders how scarred Dufner will be from here on in?
The Championship was there for the taking. He’d had only four bogeys in his previous 50 holes, so to card three in succession when the pressure was on came from left field.
Bradley’s win has shot him up the FedExCup standings from 24th to fourth; Dufner from 35th to 25th.
But this week’s Greensboro tournament will be the last chance for some big names to qualify for the FedExCup play-offs that tee off next week with the Barclays.
Camillo Villegas is right on the bubble at 125, Ernie Els 126, Tiger Woods 129, Padraig Harrington 130, Louis Oosthuizen 145, Paul Casey 147, and Angel Cabrera 150.
But only Villegas, Els, Casey, and Cabrera are in the Greensboro field, meaning Woods, Harrington, and Oosthuizen have sealed their own fate.
For the record, 11 Australians are currently inside the top 125: Adam Scott (13), Jason Day (14), Aaron Baddeley (22), John Senden (50), Robert Allenby (55), Marc Leishman (90), Greg Chalmers (98), Stuart Appleby (116), Rod Pampling (118), Steve Bowditch (119), and Matt Jones at 122.
Leishman, Chalmers, Appleby, Pampling, Bowditch, and Jones are all on duty this week to shore up their positions, leaving nothing to chance.
Surprisingly, Allenby will give the Greensboro a miss, when he desperately needs Presidents Cup points.
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