Only eight years ago Lee Westwood was all on his own - the only English golfer in the world's top 100.
How things have changed. Now there are seven in the top 50 - and almost certainly more on the way.
Last month's European Tour qualifying school saw Yorkshireman Danny Willett and Bristol's Chris Wood, both now 21, underline their huge potential by finishing fourth and joint fifth respectively.
The pair were still amateurs this time last year.
The 6ft 5in Wood switched straight after his phenomenal fifth place in The Open at Royal Birkdale - the best performance by any amateur in any major since Justin Rose was fourth on the same course a decade ago - while Willett turned professional in May.
Both were hoping to emulate Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlroy by playing well enough immediately to avoid the school. They ended up having to go through the ordeal, but the way they handled it was mighty impressive.
They each had to go through not just the six-round final stage but also two earlier 72-hole qualifiers. That is 14 rounds in all, any one of which could have ruined their dreams of joining the money-spinning 'Race To Dubai', yet they finished 42 under par and 36 under.
Willett was a team-mate of McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup and had gone on from that to be the number one amateur in the world when he made his presence felt the moment he first showed up at a Tour event.
His first hole at the Andalucia Open was an eagle; he had another six holes later, and only a last-hole bogey stopped him sharing the opening-day lead with Ryder Cup star Westwood.
A 19th-place finish there was followed by a 10th place at the Spanish Open - including third-round 64 - and with that he decided the time was right to go pro.
''So far so good,'' is the verdict of the former English amateur champion seven months on.
''Yes, it would have been great not to have to go through qualifying. But I always knew that was going to be difficult - and by getting under par quickly at the school, I was never in danger of missing the cut.''
Once he had posted a third-round 63, he could focus not simply on earning a card but finishing as high as possible - important because it guarantees more starts in the early part of the season.
Willett already has the evidence that he does not need to take his game to a whole new level to find more success.
From the tournaments he played in the 2007 season, his stroke average of 70.9 was the same as Open and USPGA champion Padraig Harrington and better than half the Ryder Cup team - while he actually led the 'putts per greens in regulation' category.
''People think it's a big leap (from the amateur to professional game), but if you are shooting good numbers it does not matter who you are playing against.''
With Sam Torrance's former caddie Malcolm Mason using his experience to guide Willett through the Tour school process, their partnership is certainly one to watch in the coming months.
With all the riches on offer it is a heaven-sent opportunity - appropriately-enough for the son of the Reverend Steve Willett, vicar of Christ Church in Hackenthorpe.
''I've got a team of people around me that love me a lot,'' he added.
The biggest disappointment he suffered during the year was double-bogeying the last hole at Hillside to miss out on The Open.
Wood came through that qualifier instead - and from being little-known at the time, he became one of the central characters of the championship. Paired with eventual runner-up Ian Poulter in the final round, he still had a chance to win himself with nine holes to play.
''At the time The Open was as good as golf can get, but knowing that I have a full year on tour ahead of me is just as good,'' he said, after securing his card.
''I have worked really hard for it, so feel I deserve everything that I have achieved. This caps a pretty amazing year for me.''
The first task for both, of course, is to ensure they do not have to return to the Tour school at the end of 2009.
''It's just a horrible week, with all the pressure and everything that comes with it,'' added Wood.
''I never want to come back here again.''
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