Super kids out to cut down Woods

13 April 2012

Top 10 on the tail of the Tiger

Tiger Woods is not quite ready to draw his pension or apply for a free bus pass but, at 26 years old, the world's greatest golfer is beginning to feel his age.

There was a time, not that long ago, when Woods would defer to living legends of the game by referring to them as "Mr Nicklaus" and "Mr Palmer".

Now, he reports, with a detectable hint of exasperation, a new breed of professional is deferring to him in the locker room.

Woods, who yesterday won the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando for the third year running, admitted: "They come up and address me as Mr Woods. I do feel old."

Five years ago when the American first teed up in the Players Championship - the unofficial 'fifth' major which Woods defends here at the TPC this week - he was just 21 and still relatively unknown outside of his own sport.

Yet within four weeks he was winning the US Masters by a record 12 shots and making front-page headlines that suddenly established golf as a cool thing to play or watch.

Woods, according to his father Earl, was the first of the "super kids" who have emerged to set new standards for power, technique and application in tournaments around the world.

Earl explained: "These are kids who started golf early, got good training, good equipment, good support and played on great courses.

"They have developed their games and they have no fear."

Those following in Tiger's paw prints certainly have no fear of the man himself, as world No 2 Phil Mickelson acknowledged when he said: "Jack Nicklaus once remarked that Tiger's challenge will come from a bunch of guys no one has heard of yet. Well, they're just now showing up."

Some of them are British. Justin Rose turned professional at the age of 17 immediately after captivating the nation by claiming fourth place in the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

He recently confirmed his latent talent by winning the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg.

On this side of the Atlantic, both Paul Casey from Weybridge in Surrey - who was on the brink of a place in the European Ryder Cup team - and High Wycombe's Luke Donald, statistically a better US college player than Woods, were contenders for the Honda Classic played near here at Heron Bay a fortnight ago.

Donald said: "People have taken to calling us the 'Young Guns'. I guess we probably are the future."

The Honda Classic was won by one of Donald's peers, the American Matt Kuchar, who turned down a fortune in professional endorsement fees after winning the US Amateur championship in 1997 so that he could retain his amateur status and complete his university education.

Others have not been so patient. The latest sensation to emerge from the United States is Ty Tryon who, at 17, is too young to obtain full membership of the US Tour.

That has not stopped him accepting a string of sponsors invitations to compete in elite tournaments, at a cost to his schooling.

As for university, forget it. Tryon's campus will be the golf course.

He said: "I don't think that college would have been the best thing for my game.

"I have it so good here - my family, my swing coach, my trainer and my sports psychologist."

Such is the company a young gun is expected to keep - and why not, when the inducements are so tempting?

Tryon, managed by Mark McCormack's IMG organisation who have Woods and Open champion David Duval on their books, is already richer by one million dollars thanks to contracts with Callaway golf clubs and the Target shop group.

Tim Finchem - commissioner of the US Tour and one of the most influential men in world golf - believes the likes of Tryon, Kuchar, Casey and Donald are "the start of a long-term phenomenon with extremely talented young players from here and abroad flooding the US Tour."

He went on: "If there is a short answer to why this is happening it comes in the words 'Tiger Woods' and 'money'.

"The game is the subject of unprecedented attention right now because of Woods, and the US Tour will play for $200m in purses this year, growing to $300m by 2006.

Tiger's popularity and the increased money that can be made in the game is going to bring thousands of kids to the game."

One of them is Arnold Palmer's 14-year-old grandson, Sam. Palmer reported: "He's six foot, he's 180 pounds and he can hit the ball almost as far, if not as far, as Tiger Woods.

"Now, he doesn't have the control or the maturity, but he's shooting rounds in the 60s and 70s, and he is constantly winning tournaments."

A bright future beckons for Palmer Jnr, but of all the advice he will receive from his famous grandfather the most valuable nugget will be a warning not to be bunkered by ambition.

Palmer said: "There are a lot of them out there that turn pro at 19 or 20 and it doesn't work out.

"We only hear about the success stories, about the guys who make it and become stars and make a lot of money.

"But there are just as many people out there that don't make it and have to go and seek other ways of conducting their lives.

"Life is short. There are a lot of other things you need to know other than golf.

"One is education, and then some fun, girls, other things that are important."

Alas, those wise words will fall on so many deaf ears.

For when Tiger tees off in the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday, a whole new generation will be watching him and wanting a piece of that action.

Top 10 on the tail of the Tiger

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