Jason Day and Jordan Spieth Ushering in New Golden Age of Golf in 2015

Jason Day got over the hump. Jordan Spieth ascended to the top of the golf rankings. And a new age of golf began Sunday at the PGA Championship. 

All of the pieces are now in place for golf to have a golden age similar to the one we've been watching in men's tennis in the past several years, with players such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray dominating the sport. 

In golf, Rory McIlroy began this new age, but Spieth and Day ushered it in for good this season. Add players such as Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed, and golf has a slew of superstars or pending superstars to carry the sport for the next decade.

Bill Simmons of HBO put it best:

Spieth's ascension to the elite has been thunderous. Two major titles, a second-place finish at the PGA Championship, a fourth-place finish at the British Open, five titles overall, a whopping 15 top-10 finishes and $10,399,715 in earnings to this point, per ESPN.com, have marked one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory.

Indeed, Spieth's 2015 is reminiscent of Tiger Woods at his best. And yet it was Spieth, always a humble ambassador for the sport despite being just 22, who was left in awe of Day on Sunday.

"There is nothing I could have done," Spieth said to Day at the scorer's table after the round, per Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports, praising Day's heroic performance Sunday. He called Day's round "a stripe show" and admitted that he knew he wouldn't catch Day on the 11th tee after Day ripped a 382-yard drive.

For Day, the win was a long time coming. He's been excellent in his own right this season, with a ninth-place finish at the U.S. Open, a fourth-place finish at the British Open, three wins and nine top-10 finishes. And coming into the PGA Championship, Day had six top-10 finishes in his last 11 majors.

If there was any lingering doubt about whether Day would live up to his potential, he annihilated it Sunday.

Of course, while Spieth was exploding onto the scene and Day was breaking through, McIlroy slowly slid out of the limelight due to injuries. McIlroy, who has four major triumphs by the age of 26 and won two last season. McIlroy, who is the new face of EA Sports' golf franchise, taking over for Woods. McIlroy, who has long been considered the next superstar of the sport.

It would appear he has company.

If you are a golf fan, how does the ascension of the game's stars not excite you? These three players, along with a slew of others, are set to take golf to new heights. Yes, Bubba Watson might offer one of his sublime performances at the Masters, or Phil Mickelson might steal a few headlines. Yes, this country's obsession with Woods will continue.

But golf belongs to Spieth, McIlroy, Day and Co. now. The game couldn't be in better hands.