Future of USA Golf

[CoverTwo]

What do you guys think about the future of American golf? I watch Morning Drive on Golf Central most mornings and a couple guys on there have been making good points that US golf is in transition where Tiger, Phil, etc etc are starting to "phase out" and there is a huge crop of young golfers up & coming. Have to say I like some of these new guys like Matt Every, Jordan Speith, Will MacKenzie, Chesson Hadley, etc etc.

Apparently there is a big time college player turning pro very soon too. Can't remember his name though.

Thoughts?

[TKE226]

We were spoiled by The Phil/Tiger era. Tiger is nowhere near where he was. Phil is still Phil, but he is getting older. It will be tough to compare to those years where Tiger and Phil were killing it.

Of the guys you listed, I only know of Speith. Hes a good player. And there are a good number of good players out there from the US. Hopefully they can get good quick. I just cant see it getting to the "dominant" level. These guys need Ryder Cup experience. I always look at those type of events as a gauge for US golfers.

[ShutTheSuccop]

Willy Mac had been around for quite a while...I have played with him twice and he is one hell of a nice guy and I am so glad to see him playing well again! Spieth may be the next big name once he starts to win a little more! I fir one enjoy the lack of a dominant player as it makes watching a little more interesting with all the unpredictability! I would add DJ to your list as well

[GoldenSpur7]

Whatever happened to Sean O'Hair, Anthony Kim, and Rickie Fowler, lol? The situation is fluid, I think. Dominant players will be few and far between in the future.

[GarnetBlack&Blue]

Originally Posted by CoverTwo

What do you guys think about the future of American golf? I watch Morning Drive on Golf Central most mornings and a couple guys on there have been making good points that US golf is in transition where Tiger, Phil, etc etc are starting to "phase out" and there is a huge crop of young golfers up & coming. Have to say I like some of these new guys like Matt Every, Jordan Speith, Will MacKenzie, Chesson Hadley, etc etc.

Apparently there is a big time college player turning pro very soon too. Can't remember his name though.

Thoughts?

that kid from UCLA? Patrick Cantlay? He's good, really good, but I don't think I've heard much from him in a while.

[kabercr2]

Really like Anthony Kim, wish he could get it turned around.

[rrsandersjr]

I almost think that there are too many talented young golfers. There are dozens of golfers who could win each week making it hard to develop a large and enthusiastic following ala Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Mickelson or Woods. There were only a handful of golfers that could realistic challenge those guys in their prime. It seems like there is a new golfer either winning or contending each week.

[SClawman]

Kid on Carolina's team, Matt Nesmith, from North Augusta was the top rated junior player in the world in 2012. He played in a PGA event as an amateur but didnt make the cut. Haven't followed his career at Carolina. Believe he's a sophomore. His home course he grew up playing on is Houndslake here in Aiken. I have a former co-worker that knows him well and has played with him many times at Houndslake says he has big time talent and could be on the tour in a few years.

[treys1986]

There are a lot of quality young American players on the tour right now. This is just my personal opinion, but I believe that the depth of American golfers is better now than it was say 9-10 years ago. It used to be Tiger and then everyone else. Now, there are a lot of players that can win any time they tee it up.

[RoosterBooster]

Difference between Phil and Tiger and a lot of their contemporaries is how much they love the game. For Tiger it is the competition, for Phil I think it is the game and its history. There are so many young talents that make so much money so quickly their focus changes. It was a lot easier to stay motivated when 72k was all you banked for a major.

[CoverTwo]

Originally Posted by ShutTheSuccop

Willy Mac had been around for quite a while...I have played with him twice and he is one hell of a nice guy and I am so glad to see him playing well again! Spieth may be the next big name once he starts to win a little more! I fir one enjoy the lack of a dominant player as it makes watching a little more interesting with all the unpredictability! I would add DJ to your list as well

Yeah I do too but I'm really excited about some of these young guys that are starting to show up on the big stage. Ryder Cup is going to be interesting for sure.

[CoverTwo]

Originally Posted by GoldenSpur7

Whatever happened to Sean O'Hair, Anthony Kim, and Rickie Fowler, lol? The situation is fluid, I think. Dominant players will be few and far between in the future.

O'Hair pops up on leaderboards every now and then. Same with Charles Howell III.

Kim fell off the map. Did he get hurt?

Ricky is having a pretty decent start. He usually turns it up when the majors come around. Definitely one of my favorite players to watch.

[CoverTwo]

Originally Posted by GarnetBlack&Blue

that kid from UCLA? Patrick Cantlay? He's good, really good, but I don't think I've heard much from him in a while.

That may be who I was thinking of.

[mc4usc]

The kid you're thinking of is Patrick Rodgers from Stanford. Patrick Cantlay turned pro over a year ago and actually has PGA TOUR status (injured his back so he's out).

[ShutTheSuccop]

here are the rankings for the junior golfers

http://www.ajga.org/RankingDBNew/


there was an AJGA event in Columbia this past weekend

[Jim Lahey]

I think the future is very bright. Rickie Fowler has been going thru some swing changes this year and should return to form in 2015. Jordan Speith is only 20 years old and a great talent. Patrick Reed, from North Augusta, has already won 3 times including a WGC event. Chesson Hadley won for the first time a few weeks back. Everyone knows Dustin Johnson is a beast. Matt Kuchar is destined to win a major sometime soon. This years Ryder Cup team is going to look very different. If Phil and Tiger can get healthy we should have a very strong team.

[CoverTwo]

Originally Posted by mc4usc

The kid you're thinking of is Patrick Rodgers from Stanford. Patrick Cantlay turned pro over a year ago and actually has PGA TOUR status (injured his back so he's out).

That's the guy. Thanks man.

[GarnetInChicago]

I'm only just over the past year really starting to get into golf (playing and watching). So I don't have any real opinion here, but it seems to me that having a few guys really step up and be the consistent stars would be good for the sport.

[GoldenSpur7]

Originally Posted by CoverTwo

O'Hair pops up on leaderboards every now and then.

He struggled last year. I thought he might develop into a top player, now I have doubts about that. I root for the guy because of his background - you should google the stories about him and his crazy father.

Kim fell off the map. Did he get hurt?

He ruptured his achilles in '12, and I still don't think I've heard anything about him since.