Next Great American Golfer . . . Jeff Quinney . . . YES

[RX Phoenix]

'Everyone' is wondering when and if there is going to be a next great golfer coming out of the USA, it's Tiger and . . . ???

Charles Howell has trouble winning
Phil . . . well he's Phil
Is it Lucas Glover, a little erratic?
The new guys on the Ryder Cup last year . . . didn't show much.

But there is one guy that is opening eyes right now . . . Jeff Quinney

He makes putts, lots of them from everywhere, is not a reckless gambler, manages his game beautifully, drives it long enough, shows maturity and makes tons of birdies and eagles, shoots LOW . Oh yea and he won a US amateur.

At the FBR . . . 12 birdies all the rest pars through the 13th of second round, he's showing a lot of promise right now, every week he's been knocking on the door and he's a 'rookie', when's the last time we saw a rookie play this well?

I believe Quinney is going to be a bigtime player and will contend in majors, win a lot of tour events, be on the Ryder Cup and do well there, be rookie of the year . . . he's the next big American golfer . . .

What do you think?

[Q.Q.Quillume]

I seriously doubt he's the next great American golfer, but all things are possible. After he wins ten or twelve tournaments and a major or two, I'll think about changing my mind.

[RX Phoenix]

Q.Q. Quillume,

I should qualify what I mean by the term 'great' maybe that isn't the right word. I don't mean as good as Tiger, what I mean is that he is the top up and coming American golfer and is not just an empty hope, he's the real deal.

He will win and be in contention week after week, he's part of the young guns who will take over the tour as the older guys fade away. There is kind of a gap between the real good American golfers who are in their late 30's and early 40's and the younger guys, not a lot to get excited about, Howell has been the big hope and is playing better now, but it's mostly been about the younger foreign players winning . . . Quinney can play with those guys, the Adam Scotts, the Geoff Olgivy, the Harringtons, the Darren Clarks, he has the game to beat these guys and win multiple times on the tour.

He's going to be a star, I don't know if he will be 'great', that is too strong of a word to use at this point so I agree with your comment that it's too soon to use that word.

[mybloodinvt]

sorry, i can't go along with on jeff quinney. until he actually does something then no sense in talking about it. he won the us am how many years ago and hasn't done anything of note to date. he can't even maintain his status on tour from year to year. if he's the guy, american golf is in trouble. my question is who is the next great american player not named jeff quinney?

[jrbechthold]

I really like JB Homes and Bubba Watson -
Next "Great American" golfer - that is a stretch, but I love watching them play.

Someone will have to challenge Tiger the way Nicklaus did with Palmer etc before they can be considered "Next great".

[RX Phoenix]

I really like JB Homes and Bubba Watson -

That might be asking too much, but can we at least hope for someone to not fold up in submission to Tiger?

Only 2 US players under 30 have muliple wins, Ben Crane and Jonathan Byrd, that's incredible. The last highly hyped player was Charles Howell III and that's been 7 years. It's been a severe drought for the USA in Ryder Cups, no one new has really come along and started to WIN. A case could be made that Quinney, age 28, is on the threshold, he's paid his dues. NCAA star at Arizona State 1997/8 Tied for 11th in NCAA championships 1999 SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN 1998 HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN 1999 NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION 1999 ASU THUNDERBIRD/SAVANE INVITATIONAL CHAMPION 1999 AND 2000 FIRST-TEAM ALL-PAC-10 SELECTION Set ASU’s Karsten Golf Course record on April 18, 1999, with a 62, which at the time was the lowest score in Sun Devil history…the best par-72 round in ASU history 2000 US amateur title defeating Lucas Glover along the way (Played the 2001 Masters (80/76), 2001 US Open (81/73), and 2001 British Open (76/73) Here are some other recent US Amateur champions 1999 David Gosset: Career is sputtering 2001 Bubba Dickerson: 127 on PGA 2006 money list as rookie 2002 Ricky Barnes: status unknown 2003 Nick Flanagan: 32 on Nationwide money in 2006 2004 Ryan Moore: Excellent showing on 2006 PGA tour, looks promising, great showing at Masters and US Open 2005 Edoraldo Molinari: Not on PGA or Nationwide tour 2006 Richie Ramsay: Not on Tour yet 2002 Ranked 2cd on Canadian Tour Order of Merit 2004 Finished 46 on Nationwide Tour with one win 2006 Finished 6th on Nationwide Tour with 8 top 10's and 16 top 25's flirted with winning all year. Been a member of the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup Players bloom at different ages, Tiger was a rarity to play so well so young, most don't come into their own until their 30's. I wouldn't be surprised if Quinney is the real deal and is just now starting to hit his stride. What I like to see is after 2 very tough near misses to enter the winners circle, he comes out smoking the next week and drops 14 birdies in 2 rounds for -13. So what I see is that this isn't just a flukey hot streak but the coming out party of a seriously talented golfer. Maybe he won't win this year, but he will get a lot of top 10's, retain his card with a top 50 finish, and sometime soon he will start winning, perhaps this week, we will see. Anyway, I'm pulling for him because we need someone to root for, someone new who can go low at any time and challenge Tiger to some extent. He already has a 64 and a 63 this year, fired a dramatic ace on 17 Sunday at the Hope after making birdie, eagle to leap up the board, leads the tour in eagles . . . this is somone who can mount a charge up the leaderboard at any time and that makes golf exciting to watch.

Quinney's comments after his 8 under round at FBR: "It was one of those days where you get in the zone and you feel like nothing can go wrong," Quinney said. He said his confidence has been building after his recent success -- a tie for fourth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic two weeks ago and a tie for seventh at last week's Buick Invitational, where he was paired with Tiger Woods in the third round. Playing with Woods, who was en route to his seventh consecutive PGA TOUR victory, was an added boost. "Just to be thrown in the fire, playing against the No. 1 player in the world," Quinney said. "It seemed like he was heads above everybody else. To be right with him playing 18 holes -- I think I bogeyed the last hole and lost by one to him that day -- but that just kind of proved to me that I can play at this level, and on the weekend. It just gave me a lot of confidence." A breakthrough victory in Scottsdale would be almost perfect, he said. "Other than probably a couple of majors, I think this is where I'd want to win," Quinney said.

Great article on Sandtrap by Cody Thrasher on Quinney at http://thesandtrap.com/columns/thras.../#comment-4245 Go Jeff, you can do it!!!

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Only 2 US players under 30 have muliple wins, Ben Crane and Jonathan Byrd, that's incredible. The last highly hyped player was Charles Howell III and that's been 7 years. It's been a severe drought for the USA in Ryder Cups, no one new has really come

What about Ben Curtis? I think he has three PGA Tour wins, including a major and he doesn't turn 30 until May 26. (No, I'm not suggesting Ben Curtis for the title, Next Great American Golfer).

[RX Phoenix]

What about Ben Curtis? I think he has three PGA Tour wins, including a major and he doesn't turn 30 until May 26. (No, I'm not suggesting Ben Curtis for the title, Next Great American Golfer).

Right, Crane turned 30 last year so he's no longer in the 'under' 30 crowd, it's just Curtis and Byrd with 2 wins . . . I find it unbelievable that this is the case with all the great golf programs and development in the US, with the collegate experience, mini tours, and Nationwide that only Tiger has come along. What I'm looking for is someone who has a solid pedigree, shown steady progress, and is moving upward, and has a big upside, someone who is demonstrating the kind of maturity needed to be a top contender. Consider what it was like a decade ago, there were many US players you could count on to play great golf. Those players are now getting up there in age, still capable of contending, but what we need is a new crop. That's why the PGA was promoting Will McKenzie so much, they need new talent. I ask friends about the Tour and they say, "It is boring, it's Tiger and . . ." Very few people can identify the younger players, it's all about Tiger, someone new needs to start winning and not just capture a major like Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, and then fade, but a guy who can win any tournament. What I like about Quinney is he has played well in the Hope on 4 different courses in severe wind, then played well on a very difficult and long course at Torrey Pines, and again can handle the longer course at FBR, he also did OK at the Sony, so he's not a one trick pony, can play well on different tracks and conditions, doesn't get down when just missing a win, a lot of indications that he may be one of those players who will rise to the top, someone has to rise to the top!

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Who will be The Next Great American Golfer? That's an interesting question to which I have no answer and not even a single nomination. There, however, do appear to be many possibilities on the LPGA Tour, although there is no certainty Morgan, Paula, Michelle, Cristie, Brittany, Natalie, or another American will emerge on a tour that is dominated by players from somewhere other than the USA. Certainly, a good case could be made for some of the young American women.

[ipark1303]

I can agree with you if Jeff Quinney develops a stronger short game play

It will be very good for the game of golf if we finally have a contender to Tiger!

[Hogan Fan]

I think he had a serious brain fart Sunday on the 17th. Why in the hell would you pull out a driver and try to drive the green when if you missed there was trouble everywhere, and with a one shot lead. He should have hit a three iron and a wedge took his par and headed to the 18th with that one shot lead.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

I think he had a serious brain fart Sunday on the 17th. Why in the hell would you pull out a driver and try to drive the green when if you missed there was trouble everywhere, and with a one shot lead. He should have hit a three iron and a wedge took his par and headed to the 18th with that one shot lead.

And it's not completely unheard of for a player to birdie with a 3-iron drive & a wedge to the green. Sounds like Quinney might be a Jean Van de Velde in training.

[RX Phoenix]

I can agree with you if Jeff Quinney develops a stronger short game play

As many golf observers are saying, Quinney has the tools, but he doesn't know how to win yet, that's the final lesson and the toughest.

All credit to Aaron Baddley for his round on Sat. and Sun., he played out of his mind and deserved to win. That putt on 16 was pure talent, this guy is second only to Tiger with a putter in his hand. For Quinney, I'd advise getting a top flight caddie who has been on a lot of winning bags which will help him learn to close the deal. As for the 17th, he hasn't hit a snap hook all year, Baddley was in position to make birdie to tie, so there was no compelling reason not to hit driver, he had driven the ball great at this hole the first three days. It was case of trying to hit a pefect draw when that isn't his go to shot and he turned his right hand over through impact, we've all been there and done that. It was a fun tournament to watch, to see the young guns battle it out with Rollins showing that he is going to be a force on tour. All three guys have major game, Baddley, Quinney, Rollins, great playing! And kudos to Bryant and Mayfair too. I'll see most of these guys this week at the ATT Pebble Beach ProAm . . . it's going to be raining the entire time. Playing in Carmel on Wednesday, going to the event on Thursday.

[Madriver]

so I guess we're still waiting for Godot. Tiger has one major fault.....the way we view golfers will never be the same. Trying to measure up to, contend, or be the next phenom has become an impossible task. Damn that Tiger, thanks for making golf a sport for Tiger then everyone else.....I can try more sarcasim, but I think you get my drift.