AP

An Australian hasn’t won a major championship since 1995 when Steve Elkington triumphed at Riviera at the PGA Championship, defeating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff.

And yes, I know Geoff Ogilvy raised the US Open trophy at Winged Foot in 2006, but who really remembers who took home the trophy? That tournament is best known for, “I still am in shock that I did that… I just can’t believe that I did that… I am such an idiot.”

I kid, of course. Ogilivy put himself in the position to win the tournament, it’s not his fault Phil inexplicably pulled driver and bounced it off a hospitality tent. Still, it has been five years since that Aussie victory, making it just two wins in the last 69 major championships.

However, Ogilvy feels that the British Open is an Aussie’s best shot at winning a major despite the last victory at the Open by a player from Down Under came all the way back in 1993 when Greg Norman came through at, where else, Royal St. George’s.

The two stongest hopes for Australia have to be Adam Scott and Jason Day.

Day appeared on the scene winning in 2010 winning the HP Byron Nelson. With the win, Day played in his first major championship last year at St. Andrews where he finished in a tie for 60th, well back of winner Louis Oosthuizen. Since his maiden major, Day has fared well in majors, finishing in the top-10 in the other three he has played in, including back-to-back second place finishes at The Masters and US Open.

Budding with confidence, Day talked after The Masters about how his performance in recent majors has given him faith that he can compete against the best players in the world.

“I know that I can contend against this caliber of field,” Day said. “I’ve always had that little doubt in the back of my mind that I could really contend against a strong field like this, but the last two majors have been wonderful for me, and I’m just looking forward to the future, obviously playing a lot more majors, and it’s just fun to be in the thick of things when it comes down to a major.”

Even though Day has his lone win, the play in the past three majors put him on everyone’s radar, including fellow countryman Ogilvy.

“He is more than capable,” Ogilvy told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I think the harder it gets, the harder it is to do well first time but, if it stays (sunny and calm) like this, that would suit Jason well. But if it gets hard, he is a quality player who plays great shots. If he plays enough practice rounds, I am sure he will work it out.”

As for Scott, since switching that ghastly long putter, his game has had a minor resurgence with a quality runner-up finish at The Masters to tie Day. Despite missing the cut at the US Open, Scott showed that his game is on the uptick with a third place finish at the AT&T National played at Aronimink, a course that many believed played tougher than Congressional.

Scott hasn’t done much at the British to qualify as a threat. In 11 starts, he has only turned one into a top-10 finish when he finished eighth in 2006 at Royal Liverpool, a course billed as similar to RSG.

Along with Day and Scott, Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley and Robert Allenby seem to be playing well enough to make a run at the Claret Jug. With the weather in Sandwich dreary today, a favorable draw similar to Oosthuizen’s last year could help determine a winner this week.

And as Day said following The Masters, “I don’t think there’s going to be [an Aussie] drought for too long.”