[Tom_Doak]

Tom Mac:  It's a good question.

My experience in Scotland is that the game is more than recreation to them, yet, it is a more social game and the young players are not driven to stand out above their friends and excel at it.  Youth sports are organized through the club, not a national body or a competitive program like the AJGA.  In contrast, a lot of the European nations provide tons of money to developing junior athletes.

I think the two world wars also had something to do with the long drought you mentioned -- all of the European nations suffered greatly in that period, but the Scots have always sent more than their fair share of young men to battle.

Incidentally, I noticed that the GB & I Curtis Cup team had four Irish women, three English, one Welsh -- and no Scots.

[Bob Jenkins]

Although I do not have the numbers, I think we tend to forget that Scotland is a relatively small country in terms of population. Take that together with the factor of the latitude of Scotland, the emphasis in that country on football  (ie. soccer), rugby and cricket, it is not all that surprising that Scotland has not been inundating us with champions.
Even so, Paul Lawrie won an open, Sandy Lyle won a Masters and a Scot won the US Amateur this year and that is not at all bad for a country of how many millions?
Also, let's face it, Colin Montgomerie is not really a Scot. He does not sound like a Scot. His dad worked at or still works at Royal Troon and Colin was born up there but in reality he is a bloody Englishman!
The last Great Scot? If you are serious in the use of the word "Great", probably Tommy Armour.

Bob Jenkins

[T_MacWood]

I'm wondering if the exodus of large numbers of pros (to the US and elsewhere around the world) in the early decades of the 20th C had an effect....maybe even a lingering effect. There were some very strong families that seemed to produced very good golfers on a regular basis that were dispersed.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

There is another part of the British Isles which, for a number of years, produced a disproportionate number of outstanding golfers, the island of Jersey.  Its population does not reach six figures, even today.  In the 1899 Open Championship there were no fewer than seven Jersey players: 3 Vardons, Ted Ray, two Gaudins and a Renouf.  Harry Vardon won that year (and on one or two other occasins, too).  Aubrey Boomer's father taught Vardon at Grouville School. Ray and Boomer played in the inaugural Ryder Cup at Worcester.  Another Jersey-bred golfer, Herbert Jolly, was called up for that event as a late replacement.  Three Jerseymen in a Ryder Cup side!  

[Kirk Gill]

For what it's worth, Scotland's current population is a bit over 5 million (around 1/3 the population of Florida, around the same number as Missouri, and about 1/60th of the US Population). It is also an aging population with low birthrate. Most of the population growth there recently has been due to immigration from Eastern Europe.

Has Scotland produced more great players than Missouri? Have they produced 1/60th the number of great players as has the United States? I know that these numbers are inexact, and have changed over time, but perhaps Scotland's golfers have produced better than you might think, per capita.

[Marty Bonnar]

Also, let's face it, Colin Montgomerie is not really a Scot. He does not sound like a Scot. His dad worked at or still works at Royal Troon and Colin was born up there but in reality he is a bloody Englishman!

Bob Jenkins

Boab,
ya big daft eedjit. I will assume you are either a master baiter, a raving lunatic or a demented canuck.

Monty might well sound english. Living much of one's young life in a particular country tends to form one's accent for life. This does not mean however, that the big fella is english. Hell, most St Andreans have english accents cos they get edumacated at posh public (UK Private!) schools. They're still Scots though.

I've NEVER seen Monty drape a St George's cross over his shoulders at any time. THAT Sweater (don't you remember IT!?) had a SALTIRE - WAS a SALTIRE...

FBD
Rabid Gael.

[Bob Jenkins]

Martin,

Okay, Montie is a Scot. Has the bloodline and nothing can ever change that. I should have said he does not act like or SEEM to be a Scot. He has the wrong accent and his demeanor is all English.
My apologies. I never want to offend a Scotsman, especially one who lives in Fife!
From 2 trips to St Andrews, I never did appreciate that most of them have English accents. Maybe I was in the wrong parts of town.

The demented Canuck

[Sean_Tully]

Another great Scot was MacDonald Smith(and the rest of his family too!) for all the majors he was in contention and supposed to win he clearly makes it to the top 5 for best players to have never won a major.
In the 29 majors that he played in he was in the top ten 17 times, not bad. He had 24 tour victories three of them being the Western Open, the first in 1912, then in 1925 and 1933!

He seems to be almost forgotten.

Tully

[James Bennett]

Take that together with the factor of the latitude of Scotland, the emphasis in that country on football  (ie. soccer), rugby and cricket, it is not all that surprising that Scotland has not been inundating us with champions.

Bob Jenkins

An emphasis on cricket?   Well you learn something everyday.  I do recall a recent (?20 years ago) english captain of scottish heritage who was picked for his leadership (ie he couldn't really bat or bowl but was ok in the slips).  I can't recall his name but I recall his success rate  () in the Ashes.  Not sure of any other Scottish cricketers.  Happy to be corrected.

James B (proud to have scottish heritage)

[Jim Nugent]

Another great Scot was MacDonald Smith(and the rest of his family too!) for all the majors he was in contention and supposed to win he clearly makes it to the top 5 for best players to have never won a major.
In the 29 majors that he played in he was in the top ten 17 times, not bad. He had 24 tour victories three of them being the Western Open, the first in 1912, then in 1925 and 1933!

Tully

Sean, I've read that back then they considered the Western Open as a major.  Without something like that, the older pro players, before the Masters, only had three majors.  

[Mark_Rowlinson]

James, It was Mike Denness (sp?) and he was around in the 1970s.

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