PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Let the record show that Nick Faldo almost blew the 1992 Open Championship. He came into Sunday with a four-shot lead, but a few hours later, American John Cook stood on the 17th green with an eagle putt, when a birdie looked like enough to secure victory. Instead, he three-putted, bogeyed the last, and watched Faldo clip him by a shot in the closing stretch. That was Faldo's last Open, and the last time an Englishman ever won an Open. The drought is 33 years and counting, which makes it the longest dry spell for England since the very beginning of this ancient tournament, when Scots won the first 29 installments.
So what gives?
That's the question we explore on this week's Local Knowledge podcast, and as a warning, there are no easy answers. England has had plenty of good players in the interim, including four World No. 1s, and even today, they have the second-most players on the world's top 100. A few guys have come close, notably Lee Westwood in 2013 when he took a two-shot lead into the final round and lost to Phil Mickelson. Just last year, Justin Rose finished second to Xander Schauffele. But to date, none have crossed the finish line, which paints quite a contrast with the 22 who won the claret jug in the years preceding.
To attempt to answer this question requires not just looking at individual records and the heartbreak of close calls, but diving into cultural differences to discern whether there's something specific that hinders English golf. Is the amateur system lacking? Are they shackled by their own weather? Is it a developmental hangover from the world wars? Is there too much pressure in their home major?
We kick the tires on all these theories, and find which ones, if any, help us explain the strange puzzle of English futility at the Open. Check it out below, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.