So you watched the final round of the Frys.com Open, and suddenly some previously rash decisions appear all too sensible. You want to charge into the nearest 19th hole and declare your latest discovery. You want to book a flight overseas, find one of those legal betting parlors and deposit your life savings.
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Rickie Fowler birdied his first two holes Sunday to jump into the mix at the Frys.com Open. A hole-in-one on No. 5 for eagle also helped push him up the leaderboard.
Golf fans didn't need to be Nostradamus or Miss Cleo to witness the future on Sunday -- the future of golf, that is -- and this time it came in the form of a pair of kids straight out of college dorms.
Although Jamie Lovemark, 21, and Rickie Fowler, 20, lost in a three-man playoff at Grayhawk Golf Club on Sunday to old-timer Troy Matteson -- he's practically prehistoric at 29 -- each represents the next generation of professional golfer, one who doesn't fear success and seems programmed to keep a foot on the gas pedal at all times.
At a combined age less than that of Davis Love III, Steve Stricker or David Toms, Lovemark and Fowler are hardly alone in the fraternity of budding superstars. In fact, it's a rather crowded house these days. From near-30-somethings Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott to multiple PGA Tour winners Sean O'Hair and Anthony Kim to international sensations Rory McIlroy and Jason Day to teen phenoms Danny Lee and Ryo Ishikawa, the future of the game at the elite level is brighter than it has been at any time since Tiger Woods was winning three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles in the mid-1990s.
And yet, if we've learned anything about young golfers during the past decade, it's that we should exercise caution when anointing one as the potential keeper of the throne. Each member of the aforementioned eightsome has shown a modicum of success, but also has struggled for consistency during his short career. At varying points during the maturation process, any of 'em could take the next step to a Hall of Fame career … or flame out and never see his talent develop into stardom.
Even more so than the others, the jury is still out on this week's runners-up. If nothing else, each possesses the game necessary to earn lofty achievements at this level -- and apparently the confidence is there, too. Waiting for Matteson to eventually finish bogey-bogey on the final two holes of regulation, Fowler greeted his former Walker Cup teammate on the practice green with a "What's up, man?" that was so casual, you got the feeling each expected to be in such a position from the moment he first stepped onto the tee box Thursday morning.
Lovemark has been a big-time prospect since even before winning national collegiate player of the year honors during his NCAA championship-winning freshman season at Southern Cal. The 6-foot-4 Torrey Pines High School grad once reached a playoff at a Nationwide Tour event before turning pro this past summer. On Sunday, he proved that you need a little luck to thrive on this level, as his second shot on the first extra hole splashed down in a water hazard surrounding the 18th green, only to inexplicably bound into the nearby rough, from where he got up and down to remain in the playoff.
"I'm a little more comfortable now that I'm a professional, and I feel like I fit in a little bit more than being an amateur," said Lovemark, who finished T-46 at the Canadian Open in his first professional PGA Tour start earlier this year before missing the cut in two others. "Yeah, it's a good start to my career."
Fowler can echo such sentiments, partly because his rise through the ranks has mirrored Lovemark's. A fellow California native, Fowler was the 2008 Ben Hogan Award winner while playing at Oklahoma State and also reached a Nationwide playoff while still an amateur. And though it wasn't a splash-and-pray miracle like that of his buddy, Fowler did receive a little luck in hitting a 6-iron from 211 yards on the fifth hole directly into the cup for a hole-in-one during the final round.
"I knew I was capable of coming out and competing. But to finish tied for seventh [at last week's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open] and then tied for first and then losing a playoff, [that's a] pretty quick start," Fowler said. "I'm just looking forward to next week and to hopefully putting together four more good rounds and seeing where we're going from there."
Each now finds himself in the same boat, yet they plan to take different routes to the final destination.
With $553,700 earned in the past two weeks, Fowler has surpassed No. 150 on the 2008 money list, giving him special temporary PGA Tour membership for the remainder of this season -- which lasts another two weeks. Because of that, he will compete in the upcoming Viking Classic, needing some $100,000 or so to reach the top 125 and earn full playing privileges for next season.
Meanwhile, at the conclusion of the Frys.com, Lovemark still had his eye on playing in the first stage of Q-school, starting Tuesday at Pinehurst in North Carolina. The playoff loss didn't merit any status on tour, meaning he'll have to get there full-time the old-fashioned way.
In most major professional team sports, college superstars such as Lovemark and Fowler would be bonus babies, no-doubt-about-it first-round draft picks given a multiple-year roster spot on draft day. Golf doesn't work like that, though, which means that even when we clearly see the future in front of our eyes, it doesn't always come to fruition.
It also means you should think twice before raving about these two newest phenoms at the 19th hole. There's no such thing as a can't-miss kid in this sport, as evidenced by the many other youngsters who have preceded Lovemark and Fowler in the past decade.
Oh, and trust me: Hold off on wagering that life savings, instead letting the future unfold worry-free. The up-and-comers of today may not be the underachievers of tomorrow, but they may not have such a clear path to stardom, either.
Jason Sobel is a golf writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.
