Just over a decade ago, a standard question in pre-Masters Tournament interview sessions was: When are Americans going to take the tournament back from the Europeans?

Nick Faldo (File)

Now it is Europeans who are being peppered with the question of when they are going to win again.

"Yeah, I guess we've had this question and this conversation a few times now," Sweden's Henrik Stenson said.

"I don't think the gap is going to be in anybody's head (this week), but I definitely think that it's just difficult to win one of these things," Ireland's Padraig Harrington said Tuesday.

During 1988-96, Europeans won seven of nine green jackets. Since then, the only victor from across the pond has been Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999.

European Masters winners are England's Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996), Spaniards Seve Ballesteros (1980, 1983) and Olazabal (1994, 1999), Germany's Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993), Scotland's Sandy Lyle (1988), and Ian Woosnam (1991) of Wales.

There was a reason they were called Europe's " Big Six" at the time.

Sandy Lyle (File)

"You have to go with the facts, and the facts are they were the best players," said two-time Masters champion Tom Watson, who lives in Kansas City, Mo.

Mark Calcavecchia was one of the Americans who finished as a runner-up to a European in the Masters. In 1988, Calcavecchia lost by a shot to Lyle when the Scotsman birdied the 72nd hole after hitting his drive in a fairway bunker.

"Sandy Lyle was unbelievable, and of course, so was Seve," Calcavecchia said Tuesday. "They had the upper echelon of players before Tiger (Woods) and Phil (Mickelson) came around."

Calcavecchia said a European could win this week, but he considers Woods and Mickelson the two favorites, "and that's a big hit on the Europeans."

Not that Europeans haven't challenged in the Masters since Olazabal's 1999 victory. Olazabal tied for third place in 2006, was fourth in 2002 and tied for eighth in 2003. England's Luke Donald tied for third in 2005, and Spain's Sergio Garcia and Langer shared fourth place in 2004.

"The Europeans haven't gotten over the line to finish it off," Faldo said.

Seve Ballesteros (File)

"To be honest, not enough have been an awful lot around the lead. I think that's the most important thing."

It's not just the Masters where Europeans have failed to break through with a win. The last European major champion was British Open champ Paul Lawrie of Scotland in 1999. That's 29 consecutive majors without a European winner.

"It gets more and more attention every year ... it's a shame it's been 29 occasions," England's Paul Casey said.

What's surprising about the drought is that Europeans are well-represented in the Official World Golf Ranking (seven of the top 23), and they have whipped the United States in five of the past six Ryder Cups, including the past three in a row.

What has hurt the Europeans in the majors is that Woods has won 11 of the past 29.

And in the Masters, Woods and Mickelson have combined to win five of the past six green jackets.

Bernhard Langer (File)

"Obviously, Tiger's made it very tough for guys," Casey said. "He's taken away half the opportunities, and the other great players in the world have taken away the other half. Yeah, it's getting tough, but I think the talent has been there in the past, and I can't explain why guys didn't win majors over the past 29 occasions."

"Europe golf is strong, good, becoming stronger," Harrington said. "Obviously, in the 1980s and early 1990s, it was incredibly strong. Nick Faldo would have had a tremendous influence on Luke Donald, his sort of age group. I think it's only a matter of time before there will be some majors won again."

Europe does have a strong mixture of talented veterans (Olazabal, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn) and young players (Garcia, Casey, Donald, Stenson and England's David Howell).

"We have a bunch of guys coming through now, not that the older guys have disappeared by any means," said Casey, who pointed out that Bjorn, Clarke and Harrington "are very, very hungry for it and have the ability."

Casey said Donald, Howell and Stenson "not only have the skill, but they have the desire and the determination and the drive and want to win a major and accepting of everything that will go with that once they win."

"So hopefully they can hurry up - somebody can hurry up and win one ... I think it's a matter of time, with a bit of luck."

Jose Maria Olazabal (File)

Said Stenson: "Obviously it's been a while, but I think we can turn it around in the near future.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind being one of them to do it."

Casey believes that once a European wins another major, "the floodgates will open."

"The quicker a European wins a major, the quicker the rest of us will see that and realize ... it's like breaking the four-minute mile," Harrington said. "Once one person does it, everybody will be able to do it. I think there is a little bit of a push needed."

Reach David Westin at (706) 823-3224 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.

European masters champions

Ian Woosnam (File)

Seve Ballesteros

Spain

(1980, '83)

Bernhard Langer

Germany

(1985, '93)

Sandy Lyle

Scotland

(1988)

Nick Faldo

England

(1989, '90, '96)

Ian Woosnam

Wales

(1991)

Jose Maria Olazabal

Spain

(1994, '99)