5 Reasons: A Rory McIlroy-Jordan Spieth Rivalry Will Bring Golf to New Heights

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are the two best golfers in the world, according to the current Official World Golf Ranking. 

Between them, they've won the last three majors and they barely have 45 years on this planet between them. The immensely likable duo seems poised to remain a fixture in the game for years to come. Indeed, with any luck, we'll be treated to at least one Spieth-McIlroy Sunday duel at a major this year. 

Shake off your "where will golf go after Tiger Woods?" anxieties. Spieth and McIlroy will co-pilot golf to new heights. 

Here's why. 

20 Years of Guaranteed Star Power, Storylines

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Rory McIlroy is 25 years old. With any luck he'll be a fixture in major championships for the next 20 years—considering that a player with lingering health issues and less of a dedication to fitness across his career, 44-year-old Phil Mickelson, has been a factor in the last two majors. 

And Jordan Spieth, at 21, could be a significant player for the next 25 years. 

Thus, arguably the two highest-profile golfers in the world right now not named Tiger Woods are a lock (barring any catastrophe) to feature prominently in professional golf for the next two decades. That is a good thing, and it should lead to an upward trend of overall growth. 

Leaders of a Youth Movement

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Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, of course, are not the only golfers under 30 making waves. Looking at the Official World Golf Ranking, several players in the top 25 are 30 years old or younger:

• Jason Day (27)
• Dustin Johnson (30)
• Rickie Fowler (26)
• Patrick Reed (24)
• Hideki Matsuyama (23)
• Martin Kaymer (30)
• Billy Horschel (28)
• Brooks Koepka (24)
• Victor Dubuisson (25)

Another element, however, has to be the emergence of two young, talented and relatively cool stars (one an American and one a European). You'd have to think that as McIlroy and Spieth achieve high-profile success, you'll see an uptick in younger entrants into the game, much more than in, say, 2009, when Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Y.E. Yang won majors. 

1+1 = Almost Tiger Woods Era

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We were presented with a preview of the post-Tiger Woods era last season when the golfer only completed six rounds of major championship golf. 

Looking at the PGA Championship as a positive example of what can happen when Woods isn't in the field, Rory McIlroy fended off the hard-charging Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in a thrilling Sunday showdown. Ratings were the best in five years for the event. 

Likewise, at this year's Masters, ratings were impressive, even with Tiger Woods out of the picture on Sunday. Numbers were up 23 percent from last year (which was admittedly Tiger-less). Still, it's an encouraging sign of what's to come. 

Major Mettle

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It isn't like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are promising rookies on tour whom we're hoping will develop into consistent talents in the future. These guys are at the top of the professional game right now, so we're not talking about some imagined future here. 

Both golfers are proven major winners, with McIlroy having captured four of the things and Spieth one. And as such, as long as they're playing reasonably well, they'll enter future majors among the favorites and as a part of the conversation. 

Having compelling stars of the sport among the favorites entering golf's most significant tournaments serves to stoke the fires of public interest and can only be good for the popularity of the sport going forward. 

Comfortable Characters with Character

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With all due respect to Tiger Woods, he has often seemed uncomfortable with his "life in a fishbowl" (not that you can blame him), and he hasn't enjoyed the best reputation in his career. 

Certainly, public scrutiny and the weight and intrusion of tremendous fame can wear at a person. However, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy seem both comfortable with their celebrity and not consumed by it. It's a rare commodity to be more Larry Bird than Michael Jordan in the face of it all.

In addition, both golfers seem to be largely upstanding young men and tremendous role models, as a recent study indicated.  

Surely, these are good things for the game going forward.