With their stunning victories in the U.S. and Japan at the weekend, young guns Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa served notice a new guard may be emerging to dominate golf over the next decade.However, for all their rich talent and the seemingly limitless potential which has been displayed by the duo over the last few years, a measure of circumspection needs to be taken.While the early odds suggest Briton McIlroy, just turned 21, and Japanese Ishikawa, 18, are likely to take over the mantle from the 'Big Four' of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, both players will need to deliver in the majors if they are to justify that status.That might sound harsh for two golfers who literally have the breadth of their professional careers in front of them but there have been several examples in recent years of young guns billed as the "next Tiger Woods" who are yet to deliver.Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Australians Aaron Baddeley and Adam Scott, plus American Anthony Kim, have all been touted as heirs-apparent to the older guard of Woods and company but none of that quartet has yet broken through in a grand slam event."It's not easy," world number one and 14-times major champion Woods told reporters at the TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday while preparing for this week's Players Championship."Winning major championships is not easy. The whole idea is to keep improving, keep becoming more efficient. You don't have to win right now."Just make sure you keep improving each and every year, and that's one of the things that I think all the great players that ever played have done, they kept improving."Yet it was Woods himself who just over a year ago predicted that McIlroy, then aged 19, was capable of inheriting his crown as world number one."The guy's a talent," Woods said at the WGC-CA Championship in Miami. "We can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip, get up and down.WORLD'S BEST"He has the composure. He has all of the components to be the best in the world, there's no doubt. It's just a matter of time and experience in big events."Although McIlroy's astonishing victory at the PGA Tour's Quail Hollow Championship and Ishikawa's spectacular success at the Crowns tournament catapulted them into the limelight, their talent has long been highly regarded by their peers."These two kids are just unbelievably talented," said Woods. "I played with Ryo last year at the British Open, then against him at the Presidents Cup, and I couldn't believe how good he hits it. And he's just got a beautiful putting stroke."I've never played with Rory, but I've seen him hit balls and watched him play on TV and it's pretty impressive."McIlroy shot a course record 10-under-par 62 to win at Quail Hollow by four strokes while Ishikawa blazed his way to a seventh Japanese tour title by firing a magical 12-under-par 58, the lowest score ever on a major international tour."These are extraordinary rounds, but Ryo and Rory were performing well at an early age for a long time," Woods said. "Before that it was Sergio, and Baddeley won two Aussie Opens as an amateur."Woods felt one significant factor behind the record-breaking heroics achieved by the younger guns was the modern evolution of the game."With the advent of technology, these kids are able to view their swings via a camera and videotape," he said."They can analyse their swings and make improvements so much faster and earlier and their golf swings are so much better at an earlier age, even from when I grew up."The most positive sign, though, for a dazzling future for McIlroy and Ishikawa is that all the hype over their burgeoning talent has not been created solely by the media. Their peers have also weighed in heavily.(Editing by Rex Gowar;To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
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