Seve Ballesteros never won one. Nor did Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle or Ian Woosnam.
While the so-called golden generation of European golfers piled up green jackets and claret jugs and world No.1 rankings in the 1980s and ‘90s, as well as those cherished Ryder Cups, none of them managed to capture a U.S. Open trophy.
That void helped extend an Open dry spell for Europe that eventually stretched 40 years, from Tony Jacklin’s 1970 triumph at Hazeltine in Minnesota until Graeme McDowell finally ended the drought in 2010 at Pebble Beach in California.