Budding Rivalries That Could Spice Up the PGA Tour

Big-time rivalries are one of the great elements of sports in general and professional golf in particular. 

Consider some of these legendary rivalries: Gene Sarazen vs. Walter Hagen. Sam Snead vs. Ben Hogan vs. Byron Nelson. Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus vs. Tom Watson. Greg Norman vs. Nick Faldo. Phil Mickelson vs. Tiger Woods. 

Many memorable moments and final-round showdowns were produced by the greats of the game above. 

Who's going to carry on the legacy of high-level rivalry on the PGA Tour today?

Read on to see. 

Rickie Fowler vs. Anonymous Tour Pros

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Rickie Fowler was spurred on just a bit by Golf.com's anonymous poll of PGA Tour pros. Fowler's contemporaries awarded him (along with Ian Poulter) the inglorious designation of being the most overrated player on tour. 

All Fowler did to silence his critics was take hold of TPC Sawgrass during Sunday's back nine and refuse to let go. Fowler went six under across his final six holes, including posting eagle, birdie, birdie on Sawgrass' 16th through 18th holes. 

Not bad. 

Asked about the poll in his post-win press conference, Fowler tapped his Players Championship trophy and said, "I laughed at the poll, but...if there was any question, I think this right here answers anything you need to know."

Rory McIlroy vs. Jordan Spieth

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The top two golfers in the world, according to the Official World Golf Ranking, are yet to have a real shot-for-shot showdown, unfortunately. Jordan Spieth wasn't a factor down the stretch in any of Rory McIlroy's majors, and McIlroy didn't put pressure on Spieth at this year's Masters. 

McIlroy, 26, and Spieth, 21, have emerged as the brightest young stars on the PGA Tour. Their positions in the OWGR are indicative of the quality of their golf over the past two years. And it seems inevitable that the pair will square off in a tournament of significance soon. 

The questions about a rivalry are already being posed. And McIlroy contends that Jordan Spieth, with his recent success, is motivating him: "It's always nice to have people pushing you," McIlroy said, per CNN.com. "I feel like he's one of the guys doing that right now." 

A New Big Three?

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This budding rivalry is more "budding" than "rivalry," to be sure, but it could be the most headline-grabbing and enthusiasm-stoking of them all: Rickie Fowler vs. Jordan Spieth vs. Rory McIlroy. 

True, Fowler, who is ninth in the Official World Golf Ranking, hasn't accomplished nearly as much as his higher-ranked contemporaries. But with his gritty triumph at The Players Championship, the 26-year-old has raised the possibility of a Big Three in pro golf, should he continue to play well.

Fowler now has two wins under his belt as a professional. Still, he's well behind the pace of Mr. Spieth and the total of Mr. McIlroy, and he's without a major win (although his performances in the majors in 2014 were historically great). Spieth has three wins in just two years, including a major championship. McIlroy has won 10 times on the PGA Tour, including three major championships. 

Still, this is the rivalry fans have to be most hoping to see develop. 

Tiger Woods vs. His Body

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Bear with me on this one. If Tiger Woods is able to stay healthy for a sustained period of time, it's sure to add a bit of spice to the PGA Tour. 

Here's why. 

Having Woods in the field of any event, regardless of the state of his game, is a net positive. Even better, though: Woods functioning at an optimal level. And while whatever his optimum is may not approach the sustained period of brilliance earlier in his career, it will at least put an end to the endless discussion of the golfer's health and whether he is able to devote the necessary time to practicing. 

If Tiger is able to better his battered, nearly 40-year-old body, he may approach something resembling, say, his 2013 self, when he won five times in 16 starts.  

And if Tiger comes out on top of this back-and-forth, he'll set up the rivalry in the next slide. 

Tiger Woods vs. Young Guns

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If we assume Tiger is able to win (or continue to win) the battle against his brittle body and Father Time, then it's a fair assumption he'll at least be able to get his game back to 2013 levels, when he won five times in 16 starts and totaled eight top-10 finishes. 

At 39, Woods, who was the dominant player on tour for the better part of 15 years, is entering the final decade of his PGA Tour career. While McIlroy has emerged as Woods' most likely successor, other young (30 or under) forces have emerged as well.

Among them:

• Jordan Spieth (21)
• Jason Day (27)
• Dustin Johnson (30)
• Rickie Fowler (26)
• Patrick Reed (24)

All of the golfers above have won at least once on the PGA Tour, and all have done so within the last year. If Woods rounds into form, watching the Tiger vs. the whippersnappers angle develop will be fun and will further invigorate professional golf.