Shriners Open 2012: Up-and-Coming Golfers Stealing the Spotlight

The lack of star golfers in this year's Shriners Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas has created an opportunity for lesser-known players to make a name for themselves.

Even though there may not be as many eyes on this tournament as there are on some bigger-name events, it's still a PGA Tour stop and plenty of people are noticing these young players who are in the spotlight.

Here's a look at the golfers who are shining bright in the event hosted by Justin Timberlake and how they fared heading into Sunday's final round.

Jonas Blixt

It's hard to say that Swedish golfer Jonas Blixt is a household name, and that's not going to change after this weekend despite a great performance.

But there's no doubting that he was one of the young golfers who played some of his best golf in Las Vegas. A bogey-less first round had him among the leaders, and he didn't fall out of the rankings as he finished near the top just where he started.

Thursday's 64 set him up for an identical score on Friday, and Saturday's moving day score of 66 kept him right in contention. He moved into Sunday's final day in a tie for the lead after birdieing six of his last seven holes.

The 28-year-old certainly turned the heads of some golf fans this weekend.

Jason Day

Most relatively informed golf fans know all about Jason Day, but he's still yet to break out. Potentially one of the biggest names in the tournament, Day is only 24 years old and was near the top of the leaderboard with many veterans this weekend.

The Australia native finished second in both the U.S. Open and The Masters in 2011, but has only notched one PGA Tour victory. He's one of those golfers who many expect to win at least one major.

He added another impressive performance to his resume this weekend.

Ryan Moore

American golfer Ryan Moore is far from new to the scene after an illustrious amateur career, but until his performance at TPC Summer this weekend, he had yet to play to his potential as a professional. 

He should be able to use his dominating performance this weekend as a springboard to help him win more PGA Tour events.

The 29-year-old has only notched two top-10 finishes in major championships, but expect that to change if he keeps up this level of play.