AKRON, Ohio — An international surge is under way in golf, one that could shift the balance of global power away from the United States and toward Europe and the rest of the world. Led by seven first-time winners on the PGA Tour, international golfers are poised to expand the beachhead they established on American soil with victories in 17 of the 34 events played this year — including the last two major championships.

The final major of 2010 is the PGA Championship, which starts Thursday at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis. A victory there by an international player would limit U.S.-born golfers to one major championship this year — Phil Mickelson’s Masters triumph — for the first time in 20 years.

Signs of international prowess are everywhere, on practice ranges and leaderboards at PGA Tour events across America and major championships across the Atlantic. Touring professionals from far-flung lands have stacked up victories like casino chips, making a statement that cannot be ignored.

The surprising winners of the last two majors — Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, in the U.S. Open and Louis Oosthuizen, of South Africa, in the British Open — have made it clear that the current crop of international players from countries large and small is formidable.

“I think everyone can see now that they can win big tournaments,” said Oosthuizen, the relatively unknown 27-year-old who had a stunning seven-stroke victory at the British Open three weeks ago. “I think it was just a matter of a few guys stepping up and doing it for the rest to see that this is possible.”

The floodgates have opened. Aided by the absence of Tiger Woods for the first three months of the season and abetted by his slow return to form since the Masters, international players have stepped into the void on the PGA Tour to win half of the events played before the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this weekend.

“There’s probably quite a broad depth to players at the moment without any one person dominating,” said Padraig Harrington of Ireland, a three-time major winner. “So it’s quite possible. Especially when first-time winners, when guys see their friends winning or individuals winning who they can associate with and consider themselves their equals, it’s easier for them to go out and win the first time.”

Ian Poulter, an Englishman who lives in Orlando, Fla., fits that bill. Poulter, 34, who had 102 PGA Tour starts before winning, sees strength in the number of international players on the PGA Tour: 78.

“There’s more Europeans playing over here,” said Poulter, who beat his countryman Paul Casey in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February. “They’ve played their way onto the PGA Tour; they’ve accepted membership; they’ve played their 15 events. Looking at the world rankings, there’s more Europeans in the top 30 or top 50 in the world than there ever has been, and they’re happy to come and travel and play golf, which is great.

“It’s great for the game of golf, so long may that continue.”

It may. Certain numbers indicate that the trend could have legs. Twelve Europeans and only 10 Americans are ranked among the top 30 in the world. The remaining eight spots are split among Africa (five), South America (one), Asia (one) and Australia (one), giving international golf an impressive two-thirds of the top 30.

For the Europeans — including the first-time winners Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose (who has won twice) and McDowell — playing well in a Ryder Cup year is added motivation. All should make the European team that will try to take back the Cup in the biennial competition Oct. 1 to Oct. 3 at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales. Other Europeans are playing so well that the Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie may have to leave one or two top 20 players off his 12-man team.

That is a measure of how far European golf has come. For internationals, many of whom have dual membership on the European Tour but are not eligible for the Ryder Cup, a sense of accomplishment that comes from success on the PGA Tour is motivation enough. Geoff Ogilvy, of Australia, fired the opening shot in the surge that began with his title defense at the SBS Championship in January. His countryman Stuart Appleby shot a record-tying 59 in winning the Greenbrier Classic a week ago.

Whether those leading the charge are longtime U.S. campaigners or first-time winners, all are part of a wave of international golfers riding higher than at any time since 1990. U.S.-born golfers won about 75 percent of the major championships from 1946 to 1989. Then, in 1990, Nick Faldo, of England, won the Masters and the British Open, and Wayne Grady, of Australia, captured the PGA Championship.

For the PGA Tour, the international resurgence is a win-win. Ty Votaw, the tour’s executive vice president for international affairs, who coordinated golf’s successful effort for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics, said the “success of international players and the diversity of players on the PGA Tour can only help grow the game around the world.”