The kids are coming

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Maybe it's only fitting that the 28-year-old beat the 43-year-old in a playoff to win THE PLAYERS Championship. After all, the last few months have belonged to the 20-somethings on the PGA TOUR.

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Sergio Garcia points out his new locker in the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass.

Indeed, the two biggest tournaments to date have been captured by players born less than a month apart. At Augusta, 28-year-old Trevor Immelman won the Masters. And now Sergio Garcia -- just 24 days younger -- has his most important win, beating Paul Goydos on the first hole of sudden death at TPC Sawgrass.

Even so, as we spin forward now and begin discussing the next big event on the radar screen, next month's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the focus will be on Tiger Woods. And with good reason.

He's won the last four times he played there. And five of the last six. And six of the last 10. And he hasn't finished out of the top 10 ever.

Overwhelming? Perhaps. But it's hardly a closed case -- especially given the current youth movement on TOUR. That gives us the second topic to discuss as we head toward Torrey Pines.

Can the youth keep it going?

"I think it's going to be really difficult to beat Tiger there, because ... he obviously loves that golf course there, kind of like the same way I feel here," Garcia said in the aftermath of his PLAYERS win. "But at least I want to give it a chance and see if I can challenge him a little bit. You know, whatever happens, happens."

Garcia became the ninth player under 30 to win on TOUR this year. Where it will end? The 40-somethings, in particular, hope it will end soon. But ...

"Usually, I would probably say that when I play like a kid, I usually do well,'' Garcia said, drawing a laugh. "I definitely don't consider myself a kid anymore. I feel like an old man, an old 28 year old.

"Anyway, this is great, this is what we practice for,'' he said. "All the hard work we do, is, you know, for this.''

It's no coincidence that youth was there Sunday. And not just Garcia. Jeff Quinney -- he won't be 30 until November -- was right there too. And Anthony Kim, free off his first TOUR win at the Wachovia Championship, was there for two rounds at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass until he hit the wall from last week's victory.

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At just 22, Anthony Kim is the latest young threat on TOUR, and his opening performance at THE PLAYERS did nothing to dispell that.

"I tried my best,'' Kim said. "I couldn't focus like I did at Wachovia. I spent all my energy the first two days getting out of the gate. It was tough. Out here, you let your focus wander one shot, and it turns into bogey-bogey-bogey.'

A year ago, Garcia finished second behind Phil Mickelson at THE PLAYERS. Ten months ago, he lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie for the Claret Jug. All he needed was par on the 72nd hole, and he didn't get it. Harrington had the playoff from the start.

But that didn't stop anyone from putting Garcia on their short list at majors. After all, we first took notice of him as a 19-year-old when he split-leg jumped his way down the fairway at Medinah trying -- in vain -- to chase down Tiger in the 1999 PGA Championship.

And now? Garcia just won THE PLAYERS -- the tournament with the best field -- and that sends his name a notch or two higher as we roll into the next phase of major season.

Garcia has a dozen top 10s in majors, and three consecutive top fives at the Open Championship, which makes him the leader of this youth brigade.

Sure, he's ranked just 10th in the world -- THE PLAYERS win moved him up eight spots -- while Adam Scott is ranked fourth. But Scott, who won the 2005 PLAYERS, hasn't fared as well at majors. In fact, he has just four top 10s, including a tie for third at the 2006 PGA.

We could keep throwing details around, but the bottom line is, the kids are coming.

Brandt Snedeker had us wondering at this year's Masters until he slid away Sunday. Andres Romero, winner of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was knocking at Carnoustie before finishing third.

And now, here comes Torrey, where only Immelman can take a step toward winning his second major. The other youngsters will be looking for their first -- including Garcia.

"Sergio is a potential top two or three player in the world," Goydos said. "He's got a long way to go in his career, and he's going to win a lot of tournaments and he's going to win major championships."

And it might just start at Torrey Pines.