Five players to watch in 2008

As the major golf tournaments of the year approach, MyGolfLifestyle has chosen five players whose developing careers or recent play indicates that they may be on the cusp of major PGA and LPGA Tour victories.  Here are our choices:

Aaron Baddeley                                                   

Born in Lebanon, New Hampshire in 1981, and raised in Australia (he represents Australia on the PGA Tour), Aaron Baddeley has been on a steady pace up the professional rankings over the last two seasons.  Although he has become a familiar face on Sundays in the last year, Baddeley got his first Tour victory back in 2006 at the Verizon Heritage when he ranked 78th.  After winning the FBR Open in early 2007 he moved up to 50th, led the U.S. Open at Oakmont after three rounds, and by September was ranked in the top 20. Baddeley is currently ranked 18th. Consistency will be key to his success this year, but we project he’ll win a major Tour victory in 2008.

Hunter Mahan                                               

Another young golfer on the rise, and a favorite of some of the older pros (Jack Nicklaus picked him as a Captain's Selection for the 2007 Presidents Cup), Hunter Mahan is gaining momentum. He won the Travelers Championship in 2007, and so far this year tied for 5th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship where he shot a 64 in the final round. He then tied for 6th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  He also carded a 62 three times last summer one of which set a record at the Westchester Country Club, and finished the season 15th in the FedEx Cup standings.  Look for him to come from behind to win a Tour event this season.

Natalie Gulbis

Like her young male counterparts above, Natalie Gulbis has been on a charge…of sorts…since 2006 when she tied for 5th at the LPGA Championship, then 4th at the U.S. Womens Open. In 2007 she won the Evian Open. Her share of the $3 million purse was a follow-up to the more than $1 million she earned from 2005-2006 when she placed in the top 10 in five straight events and finished the year 6th on the money list..  If it looks like she’s been on a fast track, yes she has. At age 14 she was the youngest player to compete in an LPGA Tour event (as an amateur).  That record was eclipsed by Michelle Wie in 2002, but Wie hasn’t won a Tour event yet and isn’t likely to in the near future either.  Gulbis turned pro at age 18 after playing only one season at the University of Arizona. The Gulbis name by the way is Latvian for swan. She looks the part.

Y E Yang

Once in a while on Sunday you’ll see a player win a PGA tournament who seemed to come out of nowhere.  We think Y E Yang has the potential to be one of those players this season.  He has already tied for 9th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Tournament and shot a 63 in the 3rd round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.  He’s played in 9 tournaments and finished in the money 5 times. In 2003 he won the Jack Nicklaus Award and Fred Haskins Award as top collegiate golfer.  You may remember him as the amateur player who made the cut and placed 28th at the Masters in 2004. So, Yang is close to doing something great.

Candie Kung

We don’t know if Taiwan native Candie Kung who turned pro in 2002 holds the record for the most top 10 finishes without a win on the LPGA Tour, but she has seemed to be there every week— ten top 10’s in 2004, seven in 2005 and three in 2006. No wins, but a consistent game and over $3 million in career earnings. A year ago she took some time off to put more ‘balance’ into her life, moved to Texas and focused on things other than golf (hockey and baseball to be exact). She’s back this year, and we think that, if balance is what she needed, this season could be the one.