First-Time Hopefuls

What an interesting PGA Tour season it has been. Tiger Woods has been the big headline of the year, and it seems like everyone who has castigated him for his actions are now getting to his head. Tiger played arguably his worst tournament as a pro last week, finishing 78th in the Bridgestone Invitational. Two of the three major winners took home their first major trophies, as Graeme McDowell won the US Open and Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open. The Masters was won by some random guy named Phil Mickelson. Oh, and when I say random, I mean he's been flirting with the World's #1 ranking for a few weeks now. We're less than one month away until the playoffs begin with The Barclays, and the PGA's last major of the year begins in less than 12 hours. All three major winners this year are paired up for the first round, and there are a couple of other interesting pairings. I know I'll be watching as much as I can, but here are a couple of guys who I think could break out for their first career major win.

Hunter Mahan
I saw Hunter Mahan play in 2007 in the Travelers Championship when he won, and that was when I knew he was a star in the making. He's won two tournaments this year, including last week's Bridgestone Invitational. Mahan is 28 years old and is starting to pick up his play, finishing in the Top 10 in three of his previous seven majors. I like the way he's played this year, and I think this could be the tournament that really puts him on the PGA Tour radar.

Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has been inconsistent this season (he's miss four cuts), but he has shown resilience that not many 21-year-olds have shown in recent years. He's got four Top 10 finishes this season, with three of them coming after missing the cut and two straight as of right now. Looking at his player card, I've noticed that in his four Top 10 finishes hes shot under par in every weekend round. If he plays well in the second half of the tournament, I think he's got what it takes to make it three Top 10s in a row.

Steve Stricker
Stricker's been a topic of discussion for the last few days, and I agree that he's got a chance to do big things in his hometown Wisconsin. He has two Top 10 finishes at the PGA Championship and six this season. He's very consistent when he plays well, as he's shot under par in every round during his three Top 5 finishes. I just have a feeling he has extra motivation because it's so close to home. I'm not sure if he will win it, but I am sure that he is capable of competing for the trophy.