Sunday's Step Up Squad At Whistling Straits

There's a little matter to be settled on some lakefront property in Wisconsin today. And everyone is talking about the "young guns," the 20-something band on the front page of the leaderboard. But to look forward, you first have to look back to the last PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

In 2004, everyone was hailing this unique setting, which presented the challenges of a US Open with the look of a British Open. It was going to be brutal - except Vijay Singh was -12 through 3 rounds. But on Sunday, everything got tightened up. Singh shot 76 with no birdies until winning in the playoff.

I look for history to repeat itself and 29-year old Nick Watney's -13 and 3-shot lead to go by the boards long before the end of the day. That leaves a very precocious group to seize the trophy.

Exhibit A: Rory McIlroy (21).

While Tiger Woods' grip on the #1 World Golf Ranking will be over fairly soon, who immediately succeeds him (Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood) is a mere formality.

McIlroy is the next world's-best-golfer. He owns the year's most dominant performance with a 66-62 finish in Charlotte, blasting past Phil Mickelson in the process.

McIlroy also pounded St. Andrews with an opening round 63 at the British, before he got hammered by the weather in Round 2.

Exhibit B: Dustin Johnson (26).

The 6-foot-4 South Carolinian makes you take notice. He's got "extra" length off the tee, and can routinely out-drive Tiger. He can dunk a basketball.

And just watch him swing and watch him walk - everything exudes confidence, except his face. He's a "flat-liner," and maybe with the Sunday US Open blowup in his rearview, he may become the next face of American golf.

Exhibit C: Jason Day (22).

This is the wild-card. He's been flying under the radar until taking The Byron Nelson this year in Dallas.

While McIlroy blows you away with his moxy and Johnson with his talent, Day has all the tricks in a short game reminiscent of someone twice his age.

While these men may represent the next Big Three in professional golf, you never know what the future holds in such a tenuous profession (see: Garcia, Sergio).

And we don't want to write Tiger off too soon, though he won't win this tournament. He could find his way from 31st place to a Top 10 finish. That would give him three Top 10 Majors in a tumultuous, transition year in his life, a season 98% of PGA Tour golfers would probably trade their career for.

And the winner today will be: Rory McIlroy. His first of many career Golf Major championships.

2010 Masters Midpoint: Union Jacks are Better

While everyone is infatuated with Tiger Woods and his return and return to form at Augusta, it's the Brits that are leading the charge.

First there's 36-year old Lee Westwood, the one-time phenom whose steady climb has got him up to the world's #4 ranking. But he is just the co-leader, joining his countryman Ian Poulter...He of the ultra-flashy clothes and the ultra-steady game.

Poulter, 34, won the prestigious matchplay event earlier this year (his first PGA win) and has climbed to #7 in the world rankings.

Poulter is notorious for a quote from 2008:

"I know I haven't played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger."

Now Poulter has his chance to back up his words and his wardrobe. He is playing the best golf of his career, and while he will be playing with his chum Westwood in their 3rd round pairing, neither seems likely to self-destruct. That's two Top-10 guys in the world sharing a two stroke lead. Tiger's not chasing Chris DiMarco or Rocco Mediate, not in this Major.

There are more factors that forecast Tiger's chance for a 5th Green Jacket as slim at best. Forget the two guys ahead of him for a second. He's still tied with Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim (who won last week), as well as Saturday playing partner K.J. Choi. Those are all world class guys.

But most importantly Tiger's aura of invincibility is seemingly gone. The events of the last several months have shown Woods to be at least human if not vulnerable. And even more tangible to the golfing world, in Tiger Woods' last Major, he was thumped head-to-head.

It was one of the most surreal moments in sports history watching relatively unknown Korean Y.E. Yang celebrate on the 18th at Hazeltine last year while Woods finished up in his shadow. Yang is also in this mix at -5, just one back of Woods & company and three shots back of the leaders.

Traditionally, Saturday at The Masters is about hanging on. The historic runs are made Sunday on the back nine (final six actually). So expect Tiger to be very much alive for Sunday even if he shoots 72-74 in the 3rd Round. It will surely be a blockbuster for CBS.

But the bottom line is too many others will be there with him, and ahead of him. Especially with Bangers and Mash at the top.

I just hope Poulter's not wearing pink trousers when he puts on the Green Jacket.