The top ten golfers to look out for - Part 2
With long time legends being cast down (yes, we’re talking about you Tiger), a European and South African resurgence has materialized into the world of golf. The time has never been more suitable for some new names to come forward and dominate this great
sport.
Continuing with the list of the players that could dominate golf in the years to come is Justin Rose. The man carries with him the tradition of two great golfing nations. He was born in South Africa and was raised in England. As a 17-year-old amateur, Rose
burst into the golfing scene by holing a shot from the rough to finish with a birdie on the 18th hole of the final round of the 1998 Open Championship. The young gun made an amazing finish, tied for fourth. Despite showing great promise initially,
Justin was unable to carry it through after turning professional. He could not make the cut in 21 consecutive tournaments in a row before his career finally took off. Rose won his first professional event at the Dunhill Championship in South Africa in 2002
and went on to win two more tournaments that year.
After a slump in his form that lasted from 2003 to 2006, he fell out of the top 100 in the World Golf Rankings. Rose reinvigorated his career, starting in mid 2006, by finishing second at the Valero Texas Open. He went on to win the Australian Masters at
the end of the year and finished in the top five in the 2007 Masters. In the same year, this competitor finished runner up at the BMW PGA Championship and after winning the Volvo Masters in a play-off, topped the European Order of Merit list. This great golfer
finished the year ranked seventh on the World Rankings and the top British golfer. In 2010 Rose won his first PGA Tour event, the Memorial Tournament and his second one soon after at the AT&T National. At 30-years-old, this champion has only started reaching
his prime.
Next up on our list is the tall, lanky and mostly unknown Chris Wood. Initially the British player harboured aspirations for playing football but after a serious knee injury he turned to golf. As an amateur he won the English Amateur Order of Merit in 2007
and 2008. The reason he is placed on this list, however, is because of his performance in the Open Championship. He played the major with his father as a caddy and with his performance, led many to speculate that he would be the first amateur to win the major
since Bobby Jones, who won in 1926, 1927 and 1930. Wood finished the tournament tied for fifth and was awarded a silver medal for being the top amateur.
After his success in the Open Championship, Wood decided to turn professional. Since then the golfer has made 13 cuts and recorded four top-ten finishes. But what is most amazing is his performance at the Open Championship in 2009, where the lanky competitor
finished tied for third with world number one Lee Westwood. Seeing as how his career has only just begun, Chris Wood seems to have much in store for golfing fans.
Anthony Kim, the American golfer who many mistakenly think is an Asian participating on the PGA Tour (Kim is ethnically Korean, but was born and raised in America), is next on our list. The 25-year-old was part of the 2005 winning USA Team at the Walker
Cup, which is the Ryder Cup for amateurs.
The golfer turned professional in 2006 and finished runner up in his debut tournament at the Valero Texas Open. In his rookie season, Kim had four top ten finishes and managed to break into the top 100 of the World Golf Rankings. The American had his first
professional win at the Wachovia Championship where he defeated former British Open Champion Ben Curtis.
After winning the AT&T Championship and a pair of top three finishes at FedEx Cup events, the American golfer propelled to the sixth place in the World Rankings. In 2008, the golfer was critical in the US victory at the Ryder Cup, where he defeated Sergio
Garcia in his singles match. Anthony Kim’s most impressive feat, however, is his third place finish at the 2010 Masters Tournament, coming barely four years after he turned professional.
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