Lost in the debate over sport or not is this: golf might have the most potential superstars under the age of 25 than any other sport, period. Just look at the Byron Nelson Championship two weeks ago, the winner was Australia's Jason Day, age 22! As an avid golfer myself, I find 16 year old Jordan Spieth's tied for 16th finish baffling, to put it lightly.
Spieth and Day aren't the only "young guns" ready to shake up the PGA Tour. Rory McIroy is ranked 9th in the world at age 21. He won his first tournament this year, the Quail Hollow Championship, by shooting 62 in the final round to win by 4 strokes. That performance, ladies and gentlemen, was Tiger-esque. Following McIlroy at number 10 in the world is 24 year old American Anthony Kim. Capable of hitting the ball a country mile at only 5 foot 10 inches, he shot a seven-under 65 with 11 birdies, the most ever at Augusta National, at last year's Masters, and not to mention, his birdie run at the latter stages of this year's Masters almost stole the green jacket from Phil Mickelson. Away from Augusta, Kim has won twice in his career.
Rounding out the top 50 are the Japanese duo of Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Yuta Ikeda. Both aren't household names, to say the least, but in the case of Ishikawa, he was winning professional tournament at age 15. Just think about a freshman in high school beating grown men in golf, I mean a 15 year old Ishikawa could probably only hit the ball 260 yards. Ikeda wasn't as good as fast, but his 2009 season was very, very good. 4 victories and #2 on the Japanese Tour Money List catapulted Ikeda into the top 50.
Rickie Fowler headlines the group of not as established but very promising golfers. He is looking to capture the Memorial this week after finishing second in the Waste Management Open this past year. Less heralded players Jamie Lovemark, who completely dominated the college golf scene at USC, and Webb Simpson, formerly of Wake Forest, should be contenders in the years to come.
Considering the circumstances, Italy's Matteo Manassero (pictured top right) may have put on the best performance on any golfer to this point. At age 16, he overcame the devilishly quick greens at Augusta to make the cut. He became the youngest player ever to do so, and Manassero is currently the world's top ranked amateur, as well. Manassero finished tied for 36th overall at the Masters. In addition, England's Chris Wood is no slouch himself. He was the only player in the entire world to finish in top 5 in the British Open in 2008 and 2009. Take that, Tiger.
Other notables include New Zealand's Danny Lee, who has not yet lived up to what various golf analysts believe is unlimited potential, and Noh Seung-Yul of Korea. I know his name is hard to pronounce, but not for long. He is considered to be one of the world's best ball strikers right now. Making perfect contact every time doesn't guarantee major championships and it certainly does not defy the old adage, "Drive for show, putt for dough," but look for this Korean to be in contention come Sundays.
The question then becomes who is the best among this list? Anthony Kim is the most accomplished, and I would give him the slight edge over McIroy. Although his daring style of grip-it-and-rip-it is illsuited towards consistency on the PGA Tour, he finds a way. The American leads the PGA Tour in scoring average this season, however, he stands in the bottom five for driving accuracy. Personally, those two stats remind me of another American, who by the way has 14 major championships.
My advice to Anthony Kim: Tone down the amount of risk taking on the golf course, in general. Not all holes can be attacked to seize birdies and eagles. He needs to weigh his opportunities, but this maturity will come with age. Look for him to struggle a bit at the U.S. Open this June. The narrow fairways don't play to his style. I like the 24 year old American to really contend, however, at both the British Open at Saint Andrews and the PGA Championship. If he cannot claim a major championship to his name this summer, I would be quite surprised to say the least.
Just because Anthony Kim has been 'anointed' the best golfer under the age of 25 shouldn't be a knock on any of the aforementioned golfers. With Tiger's off the course issues as well as a troubling neck, these young golfers have the best chance to charge up leader boards. Just watch out for Phil, he has been hot as of late.
-DR
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