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PGA TOUR: How A Bunch of 20-Somethings Took Over the Game of Golf

By Matt Cochran

Sep 17, 2015; Lake Forest, IL, USA; PGA golfers from left to right Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Jason Day walk up the fairway together on the 9th hole during the first round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2015; Lake Forest, IL, USA; PGA golfers from left to right Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Jason Day walk up the fairway together on the 9th hole during the first round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The average age of the top four golfers in the world is 25.8. Here’s how the PGA TOUR was taken over by a bunch of 20-somethings.

Rickie Fowler recently won his fourth tournament in nine months at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. For those who don’t know, nine months ago was around the time an anonymous players poll voted Rickie as one of the most overrated golfers on the PGA TOUR.

When Monday morning rolled around, the top four of Official World Golf Ranking got a new look and it’s a very young look.

The four best golfers in the world right now are Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and Rickie Fowler. Just a few months ago marked the first time in the OWGR that the top three golfers were in their 30s. This week we have another new record.

The average age of the top 4 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking is 25.8.

Let that sink in for a second. As a 26-year-old, that is just dehumanizing. This is the first time in the history of the OWGR that we’ve seen this young of a takeover. So where is this all coming from?

There could be a number of factors that go into this equation, but the two things that stick out to me come down to fitness and their “rivalry.”

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If you follow any of these golfers on social media, then you’ve seen how much time they put into the gym. They take weight training to the next level and it’s helping to give the golfer a better image. God bless John Daly, but he’s not the most appealing golfer on TOUR.

Like most things in golf, this motivation to hit the gym can be traced back to Tiger Woods. When Big Cat wasn’t getting reps on the golf course, he was getting reps with…the weights (I could have taken that a few different ways, but we’ll keep this PG).

Spieth, Rory, Day, and Fowler will all tell you they grew up idolizing Tiger. Whatever he did, they would try to imitate and that goes for both on the course and in training. Eldrick’s ways have carried over to this new generation of golfers.

The other factor that goes into this rise of young guns is the “rivalry” they have amongst one another. This isn’t a rivalry like Tiger and Phil or Jack and Arnie, this rivalry is different.

When the new “Big 4” aren’t spending time together playing golf, they’re hanging out off the course. We aren’t dealing with four golfers who hate each other, but rather a group of friends. This  makes the competition that much better.

It becomes a game of trying to one-up each other. Jordan Spieth has taken over the No. 1 spot in the world and now all Rory is focused on is getting his spot back from Spieth, while Day has already had his taste at No. 1. In a December interview with BBC, Rory discussed his goals for 2016.

"“The rankings are going to be quite close by the end of the year, and if I can get off to a good start next year, there’s no reason why I can’t be the No. 1 player in the world going into Augusta. That’s probably a goal of mine, to get off to a fast start next season and try to reclaim that position as quickly as I can.”"

As we move away from an era of dominance with Tiger Woods, golf fans are handed a new generation of not one, but four dominant golfers. It’s not quite on the same scale, but it’s still pretty damn entertaining.

Next: Rickie Fowler: What Was in His Bag at Abu Dhabi?

Even better, there is a new pack of golfers on the PGA TOUR chasing the top four in the world as speak. Through just 10 tournaments this season, we’ve already seen six first-time winners. Golf is in good hands, people.

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