US Open Field 2013: Projecting Golf's Next Crop of Superstar Talent

Golf pundits everywhere have gathered in Pennsylvania this week for the 2013 U.S. Open, where Merion Golf Club will host the tournament for the first time since David Graham's victory back in 1981. 

The usual suspects are gathered atop projections and predictions for the second major tournament of the PGA Tour season, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott—currently one-two-three, respectively, in the World Golf rankings. 

While others like Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar and Graeme McDowell will continue to dominate the headlines at Merion, there's a good chance those players won't be the favorites at major tournaments moving forward in the next five years or so. 

Why not take a brief look into the future of golf before things tee off at Merion?

Here are four guys (two in the field and two that have the talent to be there soon) that will one day take over the role of being the "stars" of the PGA Tour. Who knows—we might even see a glimpse of the kind of talent being predicted for the following players this week at the second major of the 2013 season. 

For a complete look at the 2013 U.S. Open field, click here (via CBS Sports).  

Dustin Johnson

Golf circles have been waiting for Dustin Johnson (now 28) to come around for quite some time. The long driver has a power stroke that gives him a clear advantage in the fairway, but disappointing finishes at major tournaments and an inability to stay consistent have defined his Tour career so far. 

There's still plenty of time for Johnson to hit his peak and turn into a star. 

Shane Bacon of Yahoo! Sports listed Johnson as one of his Men at Marion to watch this week at the 2013 U.S. Open, noting that the general feeling that Johnson will break through any day now continues to surround his game. 

After winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to open his 2013 season, Johnson has continued to baffle us all with his ability to play well for a round or two, then completely fade down the stretch either via injury or inconsistent play. 

According to Steve DiMeglio of USA Today, Johnson says he's 100 percent healthy heading into the Open and will look to exercise some of his demons from Augusta this week at Merion (Johnson finished tied for 13th but couldn't make the push to catch the top 10 finishers at the Masters). 

There's little doubt Johnson, who again ranks among the leaders in driving average at 304.7 yards, will be a hot candidate to finally break through at Merion this week. He's also one of the sport's in-between stars, a guy capable of contending with the current front-runners and carrying the mantle when they start to fade away. 

Billy Horschel

Golf Digest listed the 26-year-old Horschel as a player to watch before the 2013 season began, and he hasn't disappointed. The Florida standout is tied for first on the PGA Tour with six top-10 finishes this year. 

In addition to making every cut this year prior to the Players Championship, Horschel won the Zurich Classic in April, marking the first PGA Tour event he has won during his first full season with the best players in the world. 

The U.S. Open will be Horschel's first career appearance at a major tournament, and as Alan Shipnuck of Golf.com reported earlier in the week, Horschel isn't going to be content with just an appearance label slapped to his first career major. 

He wants to win. 

That's the kind of attitude that just exudes from players who are destined for greatness, and there's a good chance Horschel has the chops to start stating his case on the Tour sooner rather than later. 

One of only seven players to crack the 1,000-point mark in the FedEx Cup standings so far, Horschel has quickly and quietly put together a strong opening start to his PGA Tour career—one that could lead to success at big tournaments very soon. 

Tianlang Guan

The 14-year-old sensation will not be making the trip to Merion this week, according to ESPN, but that doesn't leave him as a player that won't be a perennial contender by the time his body catches up to his immense skill at a young age. 

Guan is the youngest amateur ever to make the cut at the Masters, and he's performed well in different rounds in other PGA Tour events, as well. 

Although he's got a long way to go before actually cracking this list as a player that will contend each week he's on the links, he's certainly worth mentioning after grabbing our attention at Augusta and holding it enough to watch his development closely over the next few years. 

Harris English

The most recent PGA Tour event winner got the job done at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, gaining recognition prior to the U.S. Open even though he won't be in the field of contention. 

English did earn a trip to the 2014 Masters with his win at the FedEx St. Jude, and he reminded us all that he's a player to watch over the next few years as his swing, maturity and knowledge of key courses comes into play on the PGA Tour. 

As noted by Golf Channel's Jason Sobel, the reaction to his win on Twitter was overwhelming—both by players and fans—and captured just how highly this young man is seen amongst his peers:

With a win now under his belt and some time off to observe the Open, there's no reason English can't come back strong and assert his will over the next few weeks with the same kind of fervor and poise he showed in his first career Tour victory. 

Like most of the guys above, we'll need to see it before we can believe it. But the talent, expectations and potential surrounding these four players is very high these days, right before we tee off at Merion for the 2013 U.S. Open. 

Follow Bleacher Report FC Ethan Grant on Twitter: