The headlines that have dominated golf in 2010 have concerned Tiger Woods! Forget Phil Mickelson's third US Masters win at Augusta in April or the victories of Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer in the other three majors, wherever Tiger has chosen to roam in the wake of his extramarital activities, the media have been in quick pursuit.
There is no doubting that Woods is not far behind Jack Nicklaus as the greatest player ever to play the game, and many still believe Tiger can surpass The Golden Bear's majors record, but if he is to do so, he will have to find marked improved in 2011 and beyond.
However, whilst the spotlight has been firmly on Tiger's attempts to bounce back to winning ways, several new golfing talents have set out on the path to establishing themselves as the next big thing.
Rory Mcllroy is currently the hottest young prospect at the moment, and at just 21 years of age, the Northern Irish youngster still has time to better Tiger's first Masters win in 1997, when Woods was 22.
Below is a look at the credentials of McIlroy and three other young stars who are fast making names for themselves in the world of golf and hopefully will continue to impress in 2011.
Rory McIlroy
The golfing world held its breath in 2007 in anticipation of the professional debut of 18-year-old Rory McIlroy, who was being tipped by everyone who knew anything about golf, to become sooner rather than later, the No. 1 player in the world.
The now-21 year old has not disappointed either. In three short years, he has won one European tour event and one US PGA Tour event already, and has been very close to winning his first Major, finishing in a tie for third place twice at the PGA Championship and once in the Open Championship. He is currently ranked 10th in the world and looks to be a certain Major champion in the making. He could well steal Tiger's spotlight this year.
All that said, it is a great to see that McIlroy is not the only youngster in the professional ranks being tipped for stardom, as a number of young players have emerged, all with a similar ability and with a similar desire to be the very best in the world. The following are three young players to think about for the future; all of them are around the same age or younger than McIlroy.
Rickie Fowler
Almost a McIlroy lookalike, Rickie Fowler has emerged in his first full season on the US PGA as a player with the potential to match any other player in the world. In 2010 he played 28 tournaments in the US, two in Europe and one in Asia. He made the cut 22 times. He never won but finished second twice, and enjoyed a total of 11 top-10 finishes.
Plus, he put up an outstanding performance at St Andrews to finish 14th in the British Open Championship. His performances have seen him rise to 25th in the World Rankings.
Fowler, of course, was a hugely successful member of the US Ryder Cup team, halving his singles match against Edoardo Molinari, after birdying in the last four holes. That half point brought the US team back into the match and proved that this 21 year old has the temperament to match his profound ability and will no doubt be a threat on the PGA tour over the next 12 months.
Ryo Ishikawa
Only 19, this young Japanese golfer has already earned superstar status in his native country, and based upon his nine victories already on the Japanese tour, he is another candidate to set the golfing world on fire.
In 2008, Ishikawa became the youngest ever player to make the top 100 in the world, and his three wins on the Japanese tour has seen him rise to 38th in the world rankings. He has yet to establish his reputation on the US PGA Tour and indeed the European Tour, but his tie for ninth place in the WGC World Match Play Championship served fair warning that the Land of the Rising Sun is also the Land with a Rising Star.
If his ascendancy continues, expect to see the Japanese media descend on golf courses around the USA much in the same way they pack baseball stadiums around the country when Ichiro Suzuki is in town!
Matteo Manassero
At only 17 years old, this wonder kid from Verona, Italy is set to be biggest star of them all, if his opening season as a professional is anything to go by.
Manassero first came to prominence after winning the 2009 British Amateur Championship, an event which qualified him to play in the Open Championship at Turnberry.
His performance at the Open is the stuff of legends where, at just 16, he made the cut playing alongside Tom Watson, and finished the tournament in an astonishing 13th place to win the Silver medal. The performance immediately persuaded him to turn professional.
His first full year on tour has seen him break all sorts of records, including becoming the youngest player ever to win a European Tour event, when he took the Castello Masters in Valencia by four strokes. He also became the youngest-ever player to make the cut at the US Masters, breaking the Bobby Cole record that had lasted since 1967.
If that was not enough, he finished third in the European Masters and second in the recent Hong Kong Open, results which have helped him secure a place at 62nd in the world rankings.
Age is firmly on his side, and whilst it may be too much to expect major success in 2011, Manassero is certainly a name to be aware of in the future.
With the media circus sure to continue to follow Tiger Woods in 2011, all other players will be able to enjoy preparing for events without added media attention. This is sure to benefit the younger, inexperienced players more than anyone, but if any one of the four stars mentioned here can deliver on their potential over the coming 12 months, expect them to steal Tiger's thunder.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/532465-golfs-young-guns-out-to-steal-tigers-thunder-in-2011
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