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Eurosport-Yahoo!'s Will Tidey reflects on a miserable week for European players at the Masters.

Alright Harvey Weinstein, I've got a pitch for you. It's April 2000 and Phil Connors (the Bill Murray character) awakes on Masters Sunday with $1 million riding on a European winner.

His wager was opportunism at its best. An obnoxious billionaire forgot himself in a hotel bar and bellowed out a ludicrous prediction for the next decade at Bobby Jones's house. It went something like this:

"I hope that Olazabal fella gets some use out of it, cos you can bet your life there won't be another European in that there green jacket for a decade. And I'll give the first man who says otherwise a million bucks to that effect."

Connors, desperate to impress Rita (played by the 104-year-old Andie McDowell), steps up. But the next day he watches on in horror as Vijay marches to victory with not a European player in sight. The first act ends with our drunken hero driving a golf buggy into Rae's Creek.

Then, in a clever twist on the original, Murray awakes with an almighty hangover exactly one year later. And so on and so forth. You can see where I'm going with this one. A happy ending is not forthcoming.

This 2009 Masters represented only the second time since 1981 Europe has failed to put a player inside the top 16 (the other being 2000) and frankly we're beginning to go a touch Phil Connors about he whole affair. But unlike Phil, we're not learning anything.

Each year since 1999 we've hyped up European chances. Our players are too talented, too technically gifted and too battle-hardened to be overlooked. After all, you don't win three Ryder Cups on the spin (2002, 2004 and 2006) with a bunch of Major-shy also-rans. Or do you?

For whatever reason, Augusta has become a no-fly zone for Europe's best. For two decades it seemed green jackets were as easy to get hold of as cut-price Levis in the US, but those days are now a distant memory.

There were seven Europeans inside the world's top 20 when the 73rd Masters got underway last Thursday. Three of those - Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey - were universally billed as potential winners, and everybody knows Sergio Garcia will win a big one eventually.

And what about Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter? And the ice-cool Swedes Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson? And Germany's Martin Kaymer? And Spain's Alvaro Quiros? Surely somebody would come to the party? Wouldn't they?

The answer was emphatically no. Harrington's 'Paddy Slam' died the most underwhelming of deaths, while Casey barely got going and Garcia did what he always does on the biggest stage - capitulate.

Meanwhile, Westwood put himself in position before summoning a spectacular final-round collapse to finish 43rd (he was seven over for his final four holes).

Poulter was another who provided a false down, but at least you get the feeling he has the stomach for the battle. His ego needs success badly and he could yet spring a surprise at the Majors this year.

As for Quiros, Kaymer and Karlsson, missed cuts do little to enhance Major credentials and all three should be smarting badly after failing to represent their obvious talents at the Masters.

But it wasn't all doom and gloom for Europe. Rory McIlroy showed enough on his Augusta debut to confirm our suspicions, and he alone should be reason for hope.

Winning Majors requires a monumental capacity for mental recovery and it was encouraging to see how the Northern Irish teenager reacted to both 'Bunkergate' and a front-nine 39 in the final round. He came out fighting.

Perhaps the rest of Europe can follow his lead and arrive at Augusta in 2010 with chests puffed out and the genuine belief they can win, because right now our big names are running scared at the Masters.

Until next year...

Will Tidey / Eurosport