By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE Dec 14 (Reuters) – While European golfers
are currently hogging the limelight and dominating the world
rankings, Briton Ian Poulter expects a crop of talented young
Americans to be challenging for top honours before long.
Luke Donald (Britain), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Lee
Westwood (Britain) and Martin Kaymer (Germany) hold golf’s top
four spots with the United States’ highest-ranked player Steve
Stricker in sixth.
Europe’s rise has coincided with the struggles of former
world number one Tiger Woods, now 22nd, while fellow American
Phil Mickelson has also slipped to 14th.
“There is some great talent coming out of the States,”
Poulter told reporters at Melbourne’s Victoria Golf Club on
Wednesday. I’m not going to say they are in a slump in any way,
shape or form, they have some fantastic players.
“But I think certainly in the next 18 months, two years, we
will see a push from those young guys in the States.”
Poulter nominated Rickie Fowler as a player to watch, saying
the 23-year-old had yet to hit his stride on his home circuit
despite confirming his promise in October with a thumping
six-stroke victory in the Korea Open for his maiden professional
title.
“Obviously it won’t take him long to start winning plenty of
tournaments. He won in Asia, but he hasn’t won over there,” said
Poulter. “I’m sure it won’t be long before he makes a hard push
up the world rankings.”
Poulter will battle Donald and a strong local field at the
Australian Masters starting on Thursday, keen to make his own
charge up the rankings having slipped from a high of fifth last
year to his current 28th.
Continued…
