Capsules: Rising 20-something stars

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May. 6, 2008
By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent

Editor's note: With all the 20somethings winning PGA TOUR events this week, PGATOUR.COM's Dave Shedloski takes a look at the game's young guns.

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Adam Scott
Age:
27
Wins: 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship; 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship, Booz Allen Classic; 2005 Nissan Open (unofficial win, as tournament was reduced to 36 holes due to weather); 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola; 2007 Shell Houston Open; 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
What he does well: Among the game's best swingers of the club and gaining in confidence weekly.
How he can improve: Find more fairways and convert on a few more birdie chances.

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J.B. Holmes
Age:
26
Wins: 2006 FBR Open; 2008 FBR Open.
What he does well: Kills the ball. His playoff win over Phil Mickelson at the FBR Open was a study in pugilistic golf.
How he can improve: Consistency seems like his only shortcoming.

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Sean O'Hair
Age:
25
Wins: 2005 John Deere Classic; 2008 PODS Championship.
What he does well: Ball-striking. He is sound throughout the bag.
How he can improve: His putting is one glaring shortcoming, especially on birdie attempts.

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Jeff Quinney
Age:
29
Best Finish: Second, 2008 Northern Trust Open.
What he does well: Iron game. He's among the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole on approach shots. He's also a fine putter.
How he can improve: He has to find more length off the tee in this era.

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Johnson Wagner
Age:
28
Wins: 2008 Shell Houston Open.
What he does well: His long game, especially with irons, is among the best on the TOUR.
How he can improve: Refinement across the board and some more experience is all he needs.

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Trevor Immelman
Age:
28
Wins: 2006 Cialis Western Open; 2008 Masters.
What he does well: Gary Player compared his swing to Ben Hogan. That's a good start.
How he can improve: He has to believe that the putting stroke that held up so well at the Masters can be trusted anywhere.

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Camilo Villegas
Age:
26
Best Finish: Tie for second, 2006 FBR Open, Ford Championship at Doral; Tie for second, 2007 PODS Championship (lost in playoff won by Mark Wilson).
What he does well: Hits greens and makes putts. His birdie average is exceptional (ranks fifth).
How he can improve: Driving accuracy is preventing him from having more opportunities.

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Aaron Baddeley
Age:
27
Wins: 2006 Verizon Heritage; 2008 FBR Open.
What he does well: He's Australia's version of Justin Leonard with an exceedingly good putting touch.
How he can improve: Working on refining the stack-and-tilt method, and seems on the right track.

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Sergio Garcia
Age:
28
Wins: 2001 MasterCard Colonial, Buick Classic; 2002, Mercedes Championships; 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Buick Classic; 2005 Booz Allen Classic.
What he does well: Possesses one of the most artistic and powerful golf swings in the world.
How he can improve: Needs to play with less emotion so that his putting matches his swing and short game.

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Ryan Moore
Age:
25
Best Finish: Tie for second, 2005 Bell Canadian Open; 2006 Buick Championship; Second, the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley; Second (playoff loss to Adam Scott), 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
What he does well: Has the ability to get the most out of his round and gets stronger as the week goes on.
How he can improve: Needs to hit more greens in regulation.

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Bubba Watson
Age:
29
Best Finish: Tie for second, 2007 Shell Houston Open.
What he does well: Leads the TOUR in driving distance but also shows a variety of shots and some finesse.
How he can improve: Shot selection and strategy sometimes cost him.

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Lucas Glover
Age:
28
Wins: 2005 FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort.
What he does well: Ranks quite high in both total driving and in putting, so total game is there.
How he can improve: Finishing. With his combination of talents, he should be scoring better than his 72.63 final-round average.

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Charles Howell III
Age:
28
Wins: 2006 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill; 2007 Nissan Open.
What he does well: Golf swing is mechanically among the best.
How he can improve: He might be a bit too mechanical in his approach to the game and scoring.

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Anthony Kim
Age:
22
Wins: 2008 Wachovia Championship.
What he does well: Pounds it off the tee and takes advantage of many of his scoring chances.
How he can improve: He could be stronger on the par 3s.

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