5 Players Who Will Become Part of the Golfing Elite in 2015

To qualify for this list, golfers have to meet certain standards.

If a player has won a major championship, he is not eligible.

If a player has won more than once on the PGA Tour, he is not eligible either.

So there is no room on this list for Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk.

But there are a handful of players ready to take that big step up in 2015.

And they are...

Jason Day

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Jason Day is healthy to start the 2015 season.

This is a guy who has superstar written all over him.

Two years ago, Jason Day held the lead at the Masters with three holes to play. A pair of bogeys doomed those hopes, but his overall performance was a real indication just how good he could be.

And when he won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play last February, the assumption was he was on his way.

Injuries, however, dogged him the rest of 2014, and he never built any momentum.

He's healthy and capable of having a big season in 2015.

Cameron Tringale

Reed Saxon/Associated Press

Cameron Tringale finally cracked into the win column with Jason Day.

Much has been expected of Cameron Tringale after a solid career at Georgia Tech. 

It hasn't come easily for him, but he started to show signs of what he was capable of as 2014 wound down. He tied for second in the Barclays and posted a 15th in the Tour Championship.

His first win came in December when he teamed with Jason Day in the Franklin Templeton Shootout. The two were awesome as a team, shooting 32-under par to win. 

Tringale became the 11th player in the history of the Shootout to win in his first appearance there.

Expect more and even better things from him in 2015. 

Brendon Todd

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Brendon Todd contended briefly in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Brendon Todd would qualify as the dark horse on this list, but he is very much qualified because of an edge he has on most of his fellow pros: an outstanding short game.

He had the best year of his career in 2014, winning once and posting seven top-10 finishes. He went through a stretch of six starts where he had five top 10s, and his worst finish was a T17.

Todd's short game played a major part in that stretch. For the season, he was seventh in scrambling, 15th in sand saves and sixth in strokes gained putting, according to PGATour.com.

The 29-year-old is closing in on some productive years, and don't be surprised if he gets his second win or more in 2015.

Jordan Spieth

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

Even Jordan Spieth needs help occasionally on the course.

Jordan Spieth is in a similar place as Rickie Fowler. 

He had a spectacular rookie season on the PGA Tour and followed it up with a good second season in 2014.

Spieth had a chance to win the Masters, but a couple of stumbles around the turn cost him his chance to stay with eventual winner Bubba Watson.

He, too, has just one victory. But he also has two years of experience butting heads with the best of the game. There is nothing in his game to indicate that he shouldn't be a major champion soon—as in 2015.

Rickie Fowler

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Rickie Fowler's second win on the PGA Tour will be a major.

News flash: Rickie Fowler is really good.

A guy doesn't finish in the top five of all four majors if he isn't good.

But the youngster has won just once on tour: the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship. 

In his last nine starts on the PGA Tour in 2015, he finished in the top 25 every time, including seven top 10s.

His swing is good, and his nerves are good. He's a strong choice to win a major in 2015.