Golf: 10 Young Guns Poised for a 2012 PGA Championship Run

The PGA Championship is just one week away and the field is packed with top players. Amongst them, several young guns will try to make a run in the season's final major championship.

Can Rory McIlroy turn around his bad streak? Is Rickie Fowler good enough to capture a second trophy in 2012? Will Ryo Ishikawaga finally win in the PGA?

Let's find out who are these youngsters and their chances to claim the title.

Bae Sang-Moon

South Korea is proud of Bae Sang-Moon, who at age 26 has 11 victories under his belt. Born in Daegu, Bae turned professional in 2004 and is a member of the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and PGA Tour.

His best performance in the PGA Tour came in March at the Transitions Championship. After a 271, 13-under par, he was tied for the lead with Luke Donald, Robert Garrigus and Jim Furyk.

However, the South Korean fell short and lost the sudden-death playoff in the first hole.

This will be the first time Bae plays the PGA Championship.

Jason Day

It's been two years since Jason Day won a PGA tournament. He certainly knows how to win, and a major title could boost his career and build a lot of momentum.

This may not be Day's best season, but he has proven to have what it takes to compete in a tourney like this. Last year he was runner-up at The Masters and the U.S. Open.

This 24-year-old is a long hitter—he averages 304.4 yards.

Keegan Bradley

The defending champion is seeking to clinch another major title and his first 2012 victory. Keegan Bradley had a chance to hoist a trophy at the Northern Trust Open, but lost to Bill Haas in the sudden-death playoff.

Bradley is one of the most consistent putters on tour. He ranks seventh in birdie average, is 12th in scoring average (70.33) and leads the par-three performance.

If Keegan's putter gets hot, he has a chance to repeat his 2011 feat.

Martin Kaymer

Martin Kaymer, the German golfer who sits 18th in the Official World Golf Ranking, has 18 titles under his belt, 10 of them in the European Tour.

Kaymer, age 27, won the PGA Championship when he was 25 after defeating Bubba Watson in a three-hole playoff. This put him on track to win the European Tour Golfer of the Year award, which he shared with Graeme McDowell.

This season Martin is yet to win; his best result was a seventh at the Maybank Malaysian Open held in April.

Matteo Manassero

Italy's Matteo Manassero has already hoisted two trophies in his short career. The 19-year-old Verona native will make his second appearance at the PGA Championship.

In 2011, Manassero finished tied for 37th, his third-best result in a major championship. Matteo can end a 16-month title drought if he can put his game together.

Lately, his short game hasn't been the best; he sits 149th in greens in regulation in the European Tour.

Rickie Fowler

The 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has cleared some doubts regarding his game. Fowler grabbed his second professional title three months ago at the Wells Fargo Championship.

However, Rickie hasn't had the best results in major championships, but this time he can change that. In 2012, he's seventh in par-five performance and eight in top 10 finishes (five).

The Oklahoma State alumnus is the 20th golfer in the world, according to the official ranking.

Rory McIlroy

It's been a tough year for Rory McIlroy. He hasn't won this year, he has missed three cuts and lost the top spot in the official ranking to Luke Donald.

In the PGA Championship, Rors has finished tied for third twice and tied for 64th once. He knows how to handle the pressure in an event like this, as he won the 2011 U.S. Open.

McIlroy can put his game back on track with a victory at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Ryo Ishikawa

At age 20, Ryo Ishikawa has an impressive résumé: 10 professional victories and 2009 Japan Golf Tour money leader.

Since he turned professional, in 2008, the Bashful Prince has never won in the United States and his best result in major championships is a tie for 20th at last year's Masters.

Ishikawa is second in scoring average, third in birdies average and fifth in par-four performance, all of them in the Japan Golf Tour.

Thorbjorn Olesen

You may remember this 22-year-old kid from this year's Open Championship. Olesen, who was born in Denmark, won four times in his country's tour, the Nordic League, before joining the European Tour in 2011.

Four months ago he grabbed his first title in Europe at the Sicilian Open. Now he's set to participate in the PGA Championship for the first time and will try to emulate what he did at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where he finished tied for ninth.

Webb Simpson

The 2012 U.S. Open champion has three PGA Tour victories under his belt. Webb Simpson missed The Open because he wanted to spend time with his wife who was pregnant.

The PGA Championship will be his first tournament after the birth of his second child, a daughter who they named Willow Grace.

Simpson is the fifth best golfer in the world and has made 14 cuts out of 16 events played. He leads the birdie average, is seventh in scoring average and third in top 10 finishes.