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Matteo Manassero - The Best Young Superstar?

JB

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Each year we hear so much talk about "the next big thing" and who is it going to be.

We saw it with Rickie Fowler
We saw it with Ryo
We have seen it for the last decade over and over.

Yet we did not see it (at least not in the dramatic fashion) with Matteo Manassero and the kid could very well be the best of the bunch. His game is fine tuned, his attitude and charisma is great and he has the game that could lead him into super stardom.

My gut feeling is that before that happens he will have to make a few more appearances and be successful on the PGA Tour or at the very least in majors and/or WGC events, but this kid has it all.

It does not hurt that he is simply en fuego right now, or should I say a fuoco in his native language.
 
Very good young player. He didn't do so bad the WGC Cadillac this year. He wasn't in contention but t23 could be worse.

I want to see his name high on the weekend in a major or WGC event though.
 
I think we in the US have not seen that kind of hype/coverage for him, but I think the Euro contingency would say otherwise. Now that he's gained some muscle and gotten his distance numbers up, I think his game will travel better.

He also openly says he likes to stay out of the spotlight and likes not being noticed. Not sure Rickie or Ryo would ever say the same. Could go hand in hand with their varying degrees of success as well.
 
If this guy was more 'involved' with the media side of things, you'd hear some buzz about him.

He holds 2 records on the European tour - youngest winner, and then, a few months later, second-youngest winner. He has now collected one of the biggest titles on the tour, against as strong a field as you'll see outside of the majors.

He's not even 20 years old yet. That's pretty big, in my opinion.
 
I think the kid has a load of talent and will have a very successful career but for breakout superstar Im betting on Jordan Speith. Seems like the young guns get younger and better every year.

TapAhoy!
 
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the_paulo said:
If this guy was more 'involved' with the media side of things, you'd hear some buzz about him.

He holds 2 records on the European tour - youngest winner, and then, a few months later, second-youngest winner. He has now collected one of the biggest titles on the tour, against as strong a field as you'll see outside of the majors.

He's not even 20 years old yet. That's pretty big, in my opinion.
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I agree. But I do think for global status he needs to compete well in the stacked fields of the majors and WGC events. They still are loaded with talent.
 
SeeMoreGuy said:
I think the kid has a load of talent and will have a very successful career but for breakout superstar Im betting on Jordan Speith. Seems like the young guns get younger and better every year.

TapAhoy!
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Agreed 100%, while Matteo is plenty talented I see Jordan having a bigger impact from a young gun.
 
You guys do realize the BMW PGA is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Euro Tour right? I'll take Matteo all day and twice on Sundays over Jordan (and if you read the Under Armour thread, I love Jordan), but theres just something to be said about having winning experience already in your resume.

Matteo will be on Ryder Cup Teams for the next 15 years, I hope we can say the same thing about Jordan.
 
It's talked about in football and may apply here but he doesn't seem to have the "it" factor to me. Good player, seems like a great guy, could very well have a great career, but I don't see him being a superstar.
 
This guy is a winner. He seems really laid back and pretty humble as well.
 
I have to agree that he is definitely the next big thing on the Euro tour. He can definitely make an impact in the US once he starts playing more tournaments.
Did you see his crazy third shot on the 8th hole at the Masters, bounced three times, stops, then reverses back left into the hole from 4ft+
 
I followed him and Dufner at the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. He definitely has a pretty big following over on that side, and handles the pressure of bigger galleries pretty well.
 
I think he has it spades and will win stateside. The kid just plays golf and not 'popular'. I think a few other "superstars" could take a page out of his book.

I think Jordan is on the sane path in deeper fields every week. As he learns the courses and gets his tour legs, he will win and win often. We as fans have years of great golf to watch.
 
Some guy named Matteo birdied the first 6 holes of his round today and is tied for the lead. Also #28 in the world now.
 
He's like a 40 year old in a 20 year old body. Never seen someone his age have so much maturity.

It's only a matter of time he wins State side. Though think he'll stay as a world player for a long time before taking up PGA membership.
 
JB said:
I agree. But I do think for global status he needs to compete well in the stacked fields of the majors and WGC events. They still are loaded with talent.
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Agreed, that is his next test, to adapt to that. But, at 19 years old with a few wins under his belt, he's a step ahead of just about everyone at this stage.

ddxu said:
You guys do realize the BMW PGA is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Euro Tour right? I'll take Matteo all day and twice on Sundays over Jordan (and if you read the Under Armour thread, I love Jordan), but theres just something to be said about having winning experience already in your resume.

Matteo will be on Ryder Cup Teams for the next 15 years, I hope we can say the same thing about Jordan.
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I agree Dan. Jordan looks to be a solid young player, but then that was Rickie a few years back. Now he's not quoted. I think the lad, but I'd say any comparison with a multiple winner at this point is unfair on him.

On a similar note, I think Peter Uileihn might be one to watch, given a year or 2. I like how he's going about things now, following his dad's advice.
 
He definately seems like the real deal. I bet he is huge in Europe, but I think he needs to play and contend more over here to get the hype going. I wonder if not being labled as "the next big thing" to the extent of Rickie and Ryo has actually helped him feel less pressure to perform.
 
I think Rory trumped this guy when he came out. He had 2 wins on the Euro tour before he was 18. That's crazy talk. But just before he won for his 2nd time was Rory's collapse at the Masters and then we all know what happened some 6 weeks later. The one year he did pretty well in WGC Match play if I remember right. I think the guy has a crazy bright future. Once he wins on the PGA Tour he will get a lot more of the spotlight.
 
ddec said:
I think Rory trumped this guy when he came out. He had 2 wins on the Euro tour before he was 18. That's crazy talk. But just before he won for his 2nd time was Rory's collapse at the Masters and then we all know what happened some 6 weeks later. The one year he did pretty well in WGC Match play if I remember right. I think the guy has a crazy bright future. Once he wins on the PGA Tour he will get a lot more of the spotlight.
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Im with you. I try not to pay a ton of attention to wins on different stages when speaking of super stardom, but this kid has a huge future. The question will be, when the sponsors start coming (and they will with more larger events), does he get spread thin. If not, look out.
 
I'm not saying he will be different, but he's shown signs of not getting caught up in the money and fame, but he did win almost 900,000 euros at the age of 16 and appeared unfaded by it. Think he just has the type of personality that allows him to be a good players, but sort of sits back a little. Similar to a Steve Stricker personality wise.
 
JB said:
Im with you. I try not to pay a ton of attention to wins on different stages when speaking of super stardom, but this kid has a huge future. The question will be, when the sponsors start coming (and they will with more larger events), does he get spread thin. If not, look out.
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the stage is set really. It will be interesting to see how he navigates the US Open this year. The buzz has already started about his near stardom fame already. Flying under the radar is a thing in the past it seems. The media is always looking for someone to do a comparison with. I hope he goes lights out and has a great showing. I will follow him for sure during the practice rounds
 
I agree about the attitude being a big upside for this kid. He's not flashy, he's laid back, and he doesn't seem to be too full of or hard on himself. Like GolfGhost said, a bit Steve Stricker like. Look at Tim Duncan though. He's gonna make the hall of fame, but does anybody talk about him? No. Who gets excited when they see Tim Duncan make 38 points in a game and every one of them are layups followed by a straight face with no emotion?

I guess what I'm saying is that I can see him being really good. But I don't see him being a guy with tons of star power on this side of the pond. Over here people seem to be in love with the big egos and drama filled stories. I don't think he's going to provide either of those.
 
Colt said:
I agree about the attitude being a big upside for this kid. He's not flashy, he's laid back, and he doesn't seem to be too full of or hard on himself. Like GolfGhost said, a bit Steve Stricker like. Look at Tim Duncan though. He's gonna make the hall of fame, but does anybody talk about him? No. Who gets excited when they see Tim Duncan make 38 points in a game and every one of them are layups followed by a straight face with no emotion?

I guess what I'm saying is that I can see him being really good. But I don't see him being a guy with tons of star power on this side of the pond. Over here people seem to be in love with the big egos and drama filled stories. I don't think he's going to provide either of those.
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Really liking the Duncan comparison.
 
Disagree. Jack had little personality. People talk plenty about him.
 
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