In February 6 out of the top 20 were 'World' players; this month that number has risen to 8. And significantly, a World player fills the no 1 spot. The Access Cup and Golfcom Ryder Cup results seem to add further evidence to support the view that the USA is losing its dominance - at least at champ level. 

But is this a real long-term trend, or just a short-term shift in the balance of power? Certainly one-off competitions like the Golfcom Ryder Cup (where the World team probably performed above themselves to beat a US team generally regarded as slightly stronger) cannot be taken as proof of such a power shift. 

Let's take in the wider picture. Golf is more popular in the USA than in any other part of the world - except perhaps Japan. Golf is popular in the UK and Ireland, but in the rest of Europe it is really a very minor sport - with some regional exceptions. The actual European golfing population is significantly smaller than in the US. And as for the rest of the world, well golf is strong in English speaking countries such as Canada and Australia, but is not a major sport elsewhere. So, assuming that in interest in 'real life' golf is likely to lead to an interest in the cyber version, the US is going to produce more LS players. 

When it comes to playing golf over the internet, either online or through offline competitions, then the country with the most number of internet users will have a relatively higher number of Linksters. As of September this year, the total number of internet users worldwide was estimated at 201 million. US users accounted for just about half of these - 106 million. So, bearing this in mind, the US Linksters are far more likely to have access to, and compete over, the internet. 

It is perhaps surprising then that competition between the US and the Rest of the World is so close. One thing is certain though; the strength of the 'World' team is going to grow. As golf becomes more popular in Europe and in other parts of the world, and importantly as internet access across the rest of the globe catches up with the US, the pool of world players will expand significantly. 

Perhaps a factor that will check the strength of any world team is the language barrier. Links is an 'English' speaking game, and certainly competing over the internet on sites that are organised by English speakers, will be a difficult, and ultimately unattractive proposition for non English speakers. 

Despite the language factor, it will become harder and harder for US teams to compete against World teams. It won't be many years into the future before new boundaries are drawn up for such team competitions. Perhaps North America versus The Rest of the World - providing Canadians are still speaking to their Southern neighbours after the South Park movie that is. Or alternatively it could become Europe versus Rest of The World? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Simon Courcha