Golf's been standing around on the 14th tee for a few years now, waiting impatiently for a new star to break through and challenge the status quo of Tiger Woods regularly beating the best players of the generation that came ahead of him, like Mickelson, Goosen and Els. Very few of Tiger's contemporaries have been able to challenge him - Geoff Ogilvy and Zach Johnson are probably the only ones to have broken through so far - and of the players still in their twenties, Immelman's recent Masters win was the first from a generation that includes Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.
Last night, however, 22-year-old Anthony Kim became the first 22-year-old to win on tour since Garcia in 2002, and with it completed a rise into the top 20 of the world rankings. Kim's not a big star yet, but I've got a feeling that he's about to be. I wonder if it's a coincidence that, at just the same point in his major-winning career as Tiger's at now, the 33-year-old Jack Nicklaus was presented with the fresh challenge of the 23-year-olds Johnny Miller and Tom Watson, who between them would be his main challengers for the next decade.
Last night, however, 22-year-old Anthony Kim became the first 22-year-old to win on tour since Garcia in 2002, and with it completed a rise into the top 20 of the world rankings. Kim's not a big star yet, but I've got a feeling that he's about to be. I wonder if it's a coincidence that, at just the same point in his major-winning career as Tiger's at now, the 33-year-old Jack Nicklaus was presented with the fresh challenge of the 23-year-olds Johnny Miller and Tom Watson, who between them would be his main challengers for the next decade.
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