After SDSU’s brutal loss tonight my fear is that any sports related predictions I make tonight could result in a jinx.
But my pick is Rickie Yutaka Fowler. He finished ranked about #30 in the world at the end of his rookie season last year. He was the youngest player to be named rookie of the year since Tiger in 1996.
You can call me a homer because he was raised in Murrieta but as a high school freshman he set the course record at SCGA, a course that kicks my ass.
He was also the captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup team. Yes, he looks like the typical 951 kid. Yes, he looks like he should be on a dirtbike and not a golf course. But watch him and you will get the same feeling you had when you saw Tiger when he was new to the scene. Ice water in his veins, cocky yet polite and appears to not care that he doesn’t seem to fit the mold, seemingly happy to be breaking the mold. He’s one of a few young guns that appear poised to take over the helm.
My favorite televised golf memory was tiger winning at Torrey pines on one leg, watched every minute. To not pick Tiger or Lefty in this one is a bit silly, but since there is no money at stake, I’ll pick Rickie. He tied for 5th on this course in his first pro start and in 2008 as an amatuer he made the cut when Torrey was the site of the U.S. open, he was the youngest player in the field that year.
