Who is the best young talent on tour?

[SteveMarino]

2 wins in 3 1/5 years as a pro does not show he is the one to me. How many wins did Tiger have after 3 1/5 years as a pro?

Two very good wins though. Not micky mouse tournaments.

I'd love to see Matteo Manassero really take world golf by the scruff of the neck. Terrific looking player. His performance at the Open Championship in 09 as a (just turned) 16 year old was astonishing.

Looking good for European golf. Pleasing.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

While Fowler has great talent (eagle, birdie start today) his rookie of the year last year was ridiculous. McIlroy was more deserving and to me looks like he'll be the more successful of the two in the future.

If we're counting DJ then we can count Kaymer. Martin Kaymer IMO will win bucketloads. He's immensely talented and is IMO the best we've seen since Tiger. I love him.

Until Kaymer starts winning majors with some regularity, he falls short of being in the same group of Tiger and Jack. I agree that he is very talented and will have some wins, I just don't see him having the kind of years, year in, year out that Tiger had early on. That person has not surfaced yet.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Two very good wins though. Not micky mouse tournaments.

I'd love to see Matteo Manassero really take world golf by the scruff of the neck. Terrific looking player. His performance at the Open Championship in 09 as a (just turned) 16 year old was astonishing.

Looking good for European golf. Pleasing.

Still, just two wins in three and a half years. Not what I would call setting the golf world on fire.

 

[cj3ap2]

I agree. Not really seeing anyone step up the past couple of years to make me think there is anyone even remotely close to being the next Tiger. These young guys now are just making way too much money just to show up week in week out and I'm not sure they have the drive to get to the top. Tiger and Jack are in class all their own and it could be a long time before we see someone that can match up to them.

That's how i feel about it. I saw the picture on twitter of the car rory's got. these kids can (and are) making an unbelievable living by playing golf and not winning, i can understand how young cats like that would take more time to enjoy those spoils than use that time on the practice green, because they can, and it's the thing that's the difference between winning and not winning.

 

[Golf Chick]

I was going to say Rickie Fowler, but he's older than Rory McIlroy, so I'm going with Rory

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

That's how i feel about it. I saw the picture on twitter of the car rory's got. these kids can (and are) making an unbelievable living by playing golf and not winning, i can understand how young cats like that would take more time to enjoy those spoils than use that time on the practice green, because they can, and it's the thing that's the difference between winning and not winning.

Arnie always talked about needing to win just to make ends meet. Times have changed. Two thirds of the pro's are only about making all the money they can. Lots of talent being wasted because they are making way too much upfront.

 

[CRucker300]

I doubt we will see a guy with Tiger's talent and ability to win, for a long time. I would just like to Rickie Fowler win a tournament first. I would like to See Dustin Johnson get some consistency. Instead of thinking which one player is going to dominate, they need to start winning.

I agree, I don't think anyone has showed even the slightest hint of the dominance Tiger showed form 1997-2008.

 

[BulldogsGolf]

Well there's this young gun out of ny playing jpga golf this year.... He looks pretty good
Not mentioning any names ...

 

[CRucker300]

I really thought Rory Mc Ilroy was going to be that guy, but he hasn't proven he can win on a consistent basis.

 

[BulldogsGolf]

Honestly though, I'd have to say mannasero, fowler, ishikawa, and Watney would be my top few


Go fowler

 

[CharlieMoy]

Manassero FTW!

 

[discovergolf]

I doubt we will see a guy with Tiger's talent and ability to win, for a long time. I would just like to Rickie Fowler win a tournament first. I would like to See Dustin Johnson get some consistency. Instead of thinking which one player is going to dominate, they need to start winning.

I agree as well. Tiger was is one of those golfers that had talent and staying power. Not to say these new guns don't have talent they all do they just need to hone in some consistency

 

[cj3ap2]

There will never be another tiger. he was born and raised for the simple purpose to dominate golf tournaments. Jack and an unbelievable amount of talent, but even his life wasn't nearly as golf centered as tiger was (from an early age), and he didn't win at the clip that tiger did either (not saying that tiger is better, just saying that not even jack was groomed to play golf the way tiger was, and no one won at the rate tiger did. both true). No one will ever do what tiger did from 97-2007, it was a perfect storm of athleticism, grooming and focus. The rate at which he won is simply unbelievable in professional golf. It's similar to the yankees winning 140 games and sweeping through the playoffs and world series every year.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

There will never be another tiger. he was born and raised for the simple purpose to dominate golf tournaments. Jack and an unbelievable amount of talent, but even his life wasn't nearly as golf centered as tiger was (from an early age), and he didn't win at the clip that tiger did either (not saying that tiger is better, just saying that not even jack was groomed to play golf the way tiger was, and no one won at the rate tiger did. both true). No one will ever do what tiger did from 97-2007, it was a perfect storm of athleticism, grooming and focus. The rate at which he won is simply unbelievable in professional golf. It's similar to the yankees winning 140 games and sweeping through the playoffs and world series every year.

I agree. I still say the next player in Tiger and Jacks league has either not been born yet, or at least not surfaced yet. It is none of the current players in the world ranking.

 

[cj3ap2]

I agree. I still say the next player in Tiger and Jacks league has either not been born yet, or at least not surfaced yet. It is none of the current players in the world ranking.

I agree. People bring up the number of years between tiger and jack, and i agree that there's some kind of law of averages thing where this comes a long every so often, but not that often, if that makes sense. Although I think there will never be a perfect storm of what Tiger Woods was. He was the perfect human to come along at the perfect time and in the perfect sport (for him and his circumstance). There'll be a guy in a generation or two that will come along and be like tiger, but there will never be another tiger.

kind of like kobe bryant and dwayne wade (to a lesser extent) are similar in this generation to jordan, but they are not michael jordan; and there can never be another michael jordan because jordan was the perfect human to come along at the perfect time in the perfect sport for his time and circumstance.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I concur

 

[DaBuckBoys]

There are some phenomenal young talents out there. McIlroy, Fowler, Mannasero... I don't think anyone will dominate like Tiger, but any of these three could win multiple majors if they dial in their focus on a consistent basis. Fowler showed some great meddle in the Ryder Cup last year. McIlroy was in a zone on Sunday like I've never seen at the Memorial last year. And Mannasero is the youngest & possibly most talented of the three...

 

[Smallville]

Talent doesn't mean anything until it starts producing results.

Anyone remember this guy? (He was supposed to be the next star of baseball in the late '70s. He batted a career .259 with 32 home runs and 193 RBI's)

 

[Badger_Golfer]

At this point I would have to say Fowler. McIlroy and Ishikawa are right there too. Until one of them starts winning on a regular basis and wins a major Im not ready to crown anyone the, "next Tiger" though.

 

[fish dude]

Sorry, there is no "next Tiger". Hopefully parents will let their kids be kids and not start grooming them to be future breadwinners for the family at age 4. If you look back at childhood movie stars, tennis stars etc. and how their adult lives turned out, for the most part its not a pretty picture. Let 'em be kids!

 

[CharlieMoy]

Sorry, there is no "next Tiger". Hopefully parents will let their kids be kids and not start grooming them to be future breadwinners for the family at age 4. If you look back at childhood movie stars, tennis stars etc. and how their adult lives turned out, for the most part its not a pretty picture. Let 'em be kids!

So your saying of you had to choose between being number 1 in the world, a billion dollars, playing golf for a living, and being a walking moneymaking machine or a childhood full of fun and games you'd choose the latter? Not on your life.


From the iPhone.

 

[AK jr.]

I have followed Rickie a lot at various events. He is no doubt a great player and I see him winning multiple times, but not nearly as many as tiger. If I had to pick 2, it's Rory Mcilroy and Matteo. Both are quite young and are very developed mentally. While Fowler is the darkhorse of this group, I am almost banking on Matteo becoming a great. At 17, I was worried about where i was going to play college golf, not about making millions on tour. I actually followed him 3 days in a row at the Transitions this week and his attitude and level-headedness is incredible. Not once did he show any anger or frustration, and today was the first day I saw him joke around with his playing partner and also smile

 

[bumpnrun]

Sorry, there is no "next Tiger". Hopefully parents will let their kids be kids and not start grooming them to be future breadwinners for the family at age 4. If you look back at childhood movie stars, tennis stars etc. and how their adult lives turned out, for the most part its not a pretty picture. Let 'em be kids!

As a parent of a 7 year old who started golfing at 3 and played in his first World Championship event at age 5, I agree entirely. We see those kids, and the pressure they face to succeed. For us, we do it because he loves it and we enjoy watching him do somethig he loves. My biggest fear is that we will inadvertantly take the fun out of it and rob him of something that brings him so much joy. Not to say dreams of the PGA Tour don't dance in his head, lofty goals are fine as long as they are his goals.

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

As a parent of a 7 year old who started golfing at 3 and played in his first World Championship event at age 5, I agree entirely. We see those kids, and the pressure they face to succeed. For us, we do it because he loves it and we enjoy watching him do somethig he loves. My biggest fear is that we will inadvertantly take the fun out of it and rob him of something that brings him so much joy. Not to say dreams of the PGA Tour don't dance in his head, lofty goals are fine as long as they are his goals.

Great point Bump. I have two girls 5 and 2, and a 3 year old boy. My 5 year old asks me to take her to the course 1/2 the times that I go. She's actually more into Dance than golf right now but if either pan out I hope much like you that we don't put so much pressure that she feels she has to do one or the other to make US happy. Its all about her but not in the entitlement way, if she's having fun and doing everything she's asked or supposed to do then have fun! If you end up getting paid at something that is fun for you, then so be it! That is not a bad thing.

Look at Michelle Wie. I'm a big fan of hers, but she was brought up in a mans world way too fast to try and make a buck. Now she's starting to come into her own on the womens tour and I'll be she starts winning and a lot soon!

Not to hijack the thread, so to answer the original question: I think what most have said is true in that the next Jack/Tiger hasn't even been born yet. I think McIlroy is the next best thing though along with Kaymer and Dustin Johnson. I don't think Fowler is in that conversation. I do believe he will win a few times, but Rory and Martin are definitely next with DJ following behind them and Fowler after that.

That's not a bad thing!

 

[bumpnrun]

What made Tiger special was his ability to perform under intense pressure. He used that energy in a way few others can. So, while there is plenty of athletic talent in the pool right now, no one has the mental toughness to dominate in that way.