European Tour laden with young talent

Nick Bonfield looks back at the weekend's action and surprise result on the European Tour which resulted in the raise of 252 world ranking places for Gary Stal and also picks out 4 players on Tour that have a bright futures ahead.

The main storyline from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was Martin Kaymer snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. After five holes of the final round, the German had a 10-shot lead over his peers on a golf course where he’d already won three times. I expect many people followed a similar course of action to myself on Sunday morning… wake up early, look at the leaderboard, declare the contest over, go back to sleep. No one could have forecast such a catastrophic implosion from a two-time major champion and former World Number 1, not least Gary Stal, the main beneficiary of his astonishing collapse.

But focusing too much on attention on Kaymer would be doing a disservice to a man who played the round of his life in the most trying circumstances. With both Kaymer and Rory McIlroy breathing down his neck on the home straight, the Frenchman rolled in a 20-footer at the par-4 16^th and finished with two solid pars to secure a memorable and emotional victory. The event reinforced the capricious nature of golf and really drilled home the old adage ‘it’s not over until it’s over.’ In no other sports is that statement so pertinent.

Stal started the event in 357^th position in the Official World Golf Ranking – 252 places lower than where he currently lies. He earned €379,798 for his victory in the desert, some €340,000 more than his previous biggest European Tour cheque. It was a heart-warming victory and brilliant to watch a genuinely life-changing moment playing out before our very eyes. Stal now has a two-year European Tour exemption and he’s added his name to the list of gifted and exciting youngsters plying their trade on the circuit.

All the pre-tournament build up centered on the blockbuster names - McIlroy’s return to action and Rickie Fowler’s presence in the field, for example – but in the event’s aftermath, I’d like to look at the leaderboard from another perspective. Yes, Kaymer and McIlroy occupied two of the top three spots, but more significant was the presence of so many youngsters in the high-paid places. A quick glance reveals that four of the top eight players were 24 and under, a further three hadn’t yet turned 30 and Kaymer, the oldest of the lot, only reached that landmark less than a month ago. It’s a brave new world on the European Tour, one characterised by aggressive golf, fearlessness and youth. Many of the golfers who performed well in Abu Dhabi have bright careers ahead of them, notably the four players I’ve picked out below….

Victor Dubuisson:

The enigmatic Frenchman finished in a tie for 4^th in Abu Dhabi after rounds of 64 and 67 at the weekend. I genuinely believe Dubuisson will be a mainstay in the world’s top 10 over the next 10 or 20 years. He possesses a brilliant short game and has an unflappable demeanour that’s the envy of many other touring professionals. He’s rapidly shot up to 17^th in the Official World Golf Ranking and I’m expecting at least one Major challenge from Dubuisson in 2015. As he proved en debut in the Ryder Cup, at the 2013 Turkish Airlines Open and at the 2014 WGC-Accenture Matchplay, he boasts an excellent all-round game and he simply isn’t perturbed by the big occasion. The sky really is the limit for Dubuisson.

Thomas Pieters:

For so long, Belgium was devoid of notable touring professionals. Now, there’s two of the same ilk. If I were to write about a tall, languid swinger with effortless power, you’d surely think I was discussing Nicolas Colsaerts. But now, another name has come to the fore. Thomas Pieters has surged onto the scene over the last 12 months or so, and he’s a player who looks like he’s equipped with the tools to make a real impact on tour.

The 22-year-old only turned professional in 2013, but it didn’t take him long to get himself into contention. He was defeated by an evergreen Miguel Angel Jimenez at the 2014 Spanish Open and, had the dice rolled slightly differently at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, he could have come away with a maiden victory. He’s still slightly rough around the edges, but a player who beat off the likes of Jordan Spieth and Partrick Cantlay to land the NCAA Division I Golf Championship during his time at the University of Illinois is someone who has to be earmarked for future success.

Tyrrell Hatton:

The young Englishman earned a European Tour card through 2013 Q-School and has made great strides in a comparatively short amount of time. Hatton enjoyed a fantastic debut season – finishing 36^th in the Race to Dubai and narrowly losing out to Brooks Koepka for the Rookie of the Year accolade – and he started 2015 as he means to go on with a top-six finish in Abu Dhabi. Hatton enjoyed four top 6s in his debut season and he’s symptomatic of a young new breed of golfers who simply don’t fear anyone. His statistics are remarkably consistent across the board, too, so look out for a maiden title for the man from Marlow in 2015.

Alexander Levy:

I really think that Alexander Levy is a superstar in the making. He’s skilled, he’s aggressive, he has an excellent temperament and he plays the game with a smile on his face. On Sunday in Abu Dhabi, when three putts from no more than three feet cost him more than €25,000, he was still able to conjure a smile and show genuine elation for Stal, one of his playing partners. If he wants to compete at the highest level he might have to make some refinements, but it’s so refreshing to see someone grinning all the time and genuinely enjoying what they do for a living. He won twice on the European Tour in 2014 and he’s on the verge of a top-50 world raking, which would give him entry to all the majors and WGC events.