PGA 2011: Ten Players Who Will Earn Their First Tourney Wins
You don't have to be a rookie in golf to be a first-time winner. The PGA Tour is made up of a majority of players who have not won, and many who may not win.
But what names can you expect to see at the top of the leaderboard? Here are some names ranging in experience who are poised to win their first tournament in 2011.
Ryo Ishikawa
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He's a multiple time Japan Golf Tour winner, proving he is a viable contender for any tour. Winning on the Japan Tour is not against the competition that the PGA Tour provides, but being able to go low in the final round is a necessity for any winner.
That is what Ishikawa has, and at his age, his first win certainly won't be his last. Good evidence of this ability was his final-round 58 to win the The Crowns tournament.
Ishikawa has represented the international team once already, in 2009, a large feat considering he was only 18 at the time.
Although he is a very young golfer, expect to see him winning tournaments regularly, as a new wave of golfing talent enters the tour.
Michael Thompson
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After recently coming in 16th at Q-School, the two-time All-American finally earned his spot onto the tour. At age 25, he was a finalist at the 2007 US Amateur, and in 2008 was the lowest amateur player in the US Open.
His most recent success includes winning Hooters Tour Player of the Year. He won one tournament on the tour, and posted five top five finishes outside of that in his 17 starts.
He has all the talent needed to be a winner on tour, and it is not hard to see him winning this year.
Jarrod Lyle
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A top five in the 2010 Tour Q-School sets Lyle up to play in plenty of tournaments this year. And that may be what he needs to bring out his first win.
Lyle struggled on tour, finishing outside the money nine out of his last 12 starts. However, he came back strong at the end of the year, finishing in fifth at the JBWere Masters, in his home of Australia.
Lyle's other successes include winning twice on the Nationwide tour. This upcoming season will be his fourth full year on tour, and it's about time Lyle picked up a win.
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Jamie Lovemark
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A talented young golfer Lovemark is, he made over $450,000 this year, topping all in money on the Nationwide Tour.
If not for last season's trouble in a few fall series events, Lovemark very well could have been on tour already.
However, this year gave him time to play against golfers like him, striving to earn their way to the PGA Tour.
Lovemark won the 2005 Western Amateur, the 2007 NCAA Championship, and won once in 2010 on the Nationwide Tour.
As well, Lovemark posted nine top ten finishes, and two other in the top 25 in his 16 cuts made out of 22.
Lovemark will be around with the next golfers to usher in a great class of American players.
Rickie Fowler
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The 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year is bound to greatness. Despite a strange golf swing, Fowler's power and prowess set him apart from all of this year's PGA rookies.
Fowler was a 2007 and 2009 member of winning Walker Cup teams, and recently played in the 2010 Ryder Cup for the Americans, who lost 14.5 to 13.5.
Fowler made nearly $3.5 million on tour this year, and was No. 22 on the money list. This included two second place finishes, ten top 25 finishes, and he made 20 of 28 cuts this year.
Fully expect to see this young talent in the final group with Jamie Lovemark for years to come.
William McGirt
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At age 31, he is one of the older players on this list ironically. McGirt, a former Wofford golfer, came in second in the 2010 Q School.
Despite not posting better than 11th in his last 13 Nationwide Tour events, he posted four top tens in his first 11 tournaments.
McGirt really only needs to find a level of consistency, and get rid of his streakiness in order to be a consistent contender. Otherwise, his promising year could quickly flame out.
Finishing second at Q School does not normally constitute a winner, but for McGirt, it is easy to see him taking home his first trophy.
Brendan Steele
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Steele's most recent accomplishment is winning the Nationwide Tour championship in a stacked field featuring young guns and seasoned veterans trying to regain form. He has four other wins on the Golden State tour, and has also played on the Canadian Tour.
Steele played at UC-Riverside, and had relative success while playing there. However, his win in the Tour Championship cemented his position on tour next year, when it moved him from 30th to sixth in money standings.
If he can harness what he had when he won the Nationwide Tour Championship, there is no doubt he will be a winner.
Like some other golfers on this list, Steele needs to find a consistency, or his longevity on tour will be non-existent.
Cameron Tringale
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This 23-year-old California native came in fourth in the PGA Q-School this year. The year before, he qualified at 19th, but failed to make many checks. He cashed in only five events out of 22.
Despite these numbers, when he did qualify, he had some successes. He came in the top 25 three times out of these five, and had a T11 in there at Las Vegas.
Tringale's resume includes three-time All-American honors at Georgia Tech (home school to another recent first-time winner, Matt Kuchar).
As a freshman, he won the ACC championship, and has twice qualified for the US Am. He also appeared in the 2009 Walker Cup.
Hunter Haas
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While he has not shown yet to be as good as his father, Jay, Hunter Haas proved this year was his year to shine.
He was in the top five for Nationwide Tour earnings for 2010, posting two wins at the Price Cutters Charity Championship and the Albertsons Boise Open.
He is another late bloomer compared to others on this list; but then again, Phil Mickelson's best golf was not played when he was in his 20s.
This University of Oklahoma alumnus has a lot of promise, if his 1999 US Amateur Public Links and Porter Cup titles indicate in any way.
Haas has many times waffled between tours, but after a very steady year, all signs point to success for Hunter Haas.
Fredrik Jacobson
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The senior of the list, Jacobson had a close call this year when he came in second at the Valero Texas Open, but Adam Scott closed the door on him. He has three wins on the European Tour, but as many Euros often do, Jacobson has struggled to win in the United States.
However, he has begun to develop a consistency. Since 2007, Jacobson has had three second-place finishes, and 14 top tens. His scoring average of 70.15 was the lowest of his career, and it has consistently gotten lower in three years.
Jacobson has plenty of time to win multiple tournaments, and with his talent, he will get it done.
Bounceback Winners
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Although these guys have won on the PGA Tour, it seems a while since they have won. Here are three big names to consider:
Tiger Woods: Not a very long stretch between wins for an average golfer, but of course Tiger will have more than one win in the year to come.
Sergio Garcia: His career is the one that could have been. So many moments, Garcia was within reach of a major title, and since winning the Players Championship in 2008, he has fallen off the map. After a well-needed break, he was still a little shaky, but not enough to deter hope.
Padraig Harrington: While the Tiger was away, Paddy did play. However, since the return of Woods, Harrington seems to have lost his luster. He tried to tweak his swing, and the effects were not exactly as planned.
One More Name To Watch: Matteo Manassero
12 of 12Recently turned pro at age 17, Manassero seems to be a part of a group of professional golfers who enter at an early age due to circumstances. He has already won on the European Tour.
All though he may not win this year, you can fully expect Manassero's name to be on the front page of the leaderboard a few times this season, depending on where he spends his time.
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