The Sporting Year-A Yearly Review 4:US OPEN,Pebble Beach,California

Number four. The US Open. Pebble Beach, California.

The 2010 US Open proved to be one of the most testing weekend's of golf on any of the tours this year. It was held at Pebble Beach. The Old Lady by the Sea as it's known-has played host to some of the greatest moments in golf down the years.

Tim Maitland is a golf writer who works on both the European and PGA tours.

"I think every US Open produces a test of golf beyond most players' experience the rest of the year [...] so you win a US Open and you've been playing some quality golf."

After three days of closely-fought competition in California over the weekend of June 17th, Northern Ireland's GraemeMcDowell edged home ahead of France's Gregory Havret. The margin was one shot, with the big guns of Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods a couple of shots further back.

McDowell was widely praised for managing to retain his composure while the top players floundered. The Northern-Irishman ending as the only player not defeated by the testing course, finishing as he did at level-par. As one experienced analyst put it, 'McDowell didn't quite conquer the course, but he survived it.'

It is an illustrious roll of honor at Pebble Beach. Some of the game's legends have won there. Indeed the leading Major winner, Jack Niclaus, and the man aiming to emulate the great man, Tiger Woods, both have flags flying at Pebble Beach to mark their victories there.

In winning the tournament, McDowell became the first non-US winner of the US Open since Englishman Tony Jacklin triumphed back in 1970.

This season signaled the end of a long-established stranglehold American player had on the game, with no less than 13 of the world's top-25 players plying their trade outside of America, while just one of the four Major titles this season was won by an American.

Tim Maitland thinks McDowell's win acted as a catalyst for other non-US players to grab the ascendancy.

"The European players in particular were just growing in confidence [...] one of the reasons the Europeans continued to win was because once you've seen one guy doing it, you realize you can do it as well. And certainly, the season started with

Poulter winning and I think that probably created the possibilities for others and drove others to work harder, and then McDowell, Kaymer, it just goes on and on, and on. Certainly at the moment Europe seem to be in the ascendancy."

That weekend, the Old Lady by the Sea lived up to its billing as one of the toughest courses in world golf. It was tamed by just one man. And he deservedly joined the list of great winners at Pebble Beach.

"Think of the winners here," McDowell said after his victory. "Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods and now me."