Game’s Young Guns Looking to Add Notches to Their Bags

Even though they have added another year, it’s still hard to think of them as older.

More experienced, definitely. But not older.

With Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard, Ernie Els and David Duval leading the PGA Tour into its seasoning-opening stop in the Mercedes Championships at La Costa Resort and Spa, the only thing that comes to mind is youth.

“The group of young guys that came up--it’s going to be hard to stay ahead of them,” said Davis Love III, a relative old-timer at 33.

Woods, 22; Leonard, 25, and Els, 28, each won a major championship last year--the Masters, British Open and U.S. Open, respectively. Duval, 26, won his last three tour events, including the season-ending Tour Championship. Of the 18 players to earn at least $1 million on the tour last year, seven were in their 20s. This in a sport in which, traditionally, players reach their prime in their early 30s.

“Everything goes in cycles,” Woods said. “First there was [Arnold] Palmer, then Jack [Nicklaus], then Tom [Watson]. Now the 20-somethings are moving into the realm of [Greg] Norman, [Lanny] Wadkins, [Ben] Crenshaw--guys who are in their 40s and heading toward the senior tour--and we’re coming into our own. When we get to be 40, there will be some new young kids kicking our butts too.”

For Woods, however that day is 18 years away. He and his peers are still the kickers, not the kickees. It’s why they are the favorites even in a field that includes such distinguished names as Nick Faldo, Mark O’Meara, Nick Price and Norman.

And don’t forget about 27-year-old Phil Mickelson, whose two victories last year were half his 1996 total. That made him old news in ’97.

Woods was the talk of the first half of the season, and Duval provided the bookend as the year drew to a close.

Woods won the Mercedes Championships last year, which started his impressive run of four titles and a record-breaking $2,066,833 in earnings.

But Woods faded in the second half, and by December all anyone could talk about was Duval. He now has a chance to become the first man to win four consecutive tournaments since Ben Hogan in 1953.

The guy had no victories in his first 92 tournaments, and now he’s being mentioned in the same sentence as Hogan.

Leonard credits competitive college and junior golf programs for turning out tournament-ready pros at an early age.

Els thinks the next step toward their world domination is to all peak at the big tournaments.

“We haven’t really played well together in one major,” Els said. “I think it’ll be good for golf if there is some kind of rivalry.”

At this tournament limited to winners of last year’s tour events, most people will be trying to keep up with the long-hitting Woods. The 7,022-yard course should suit him perfectly, and he expects to hit his driver on most tees.

“The course is not as tough as in past years,” Woods said. “There is no rough out there. I think there will be a lot of low scores. The conditions are so soft and the greens are smooth. It used to be a lot tougher. I remember watching players try to hit it out of that rough and it was tough to advance the ball. That’s not the case this year.”

This is the last year the tournament, which awards $306,000 and a new Mercedes-Benz to the winner, will be played at La Costa, its home for 30 years.

It’s moving to Hawaii next year. Just another 30-something getting pushed aside on the PGA Tour.