Since learning that 2008 will continue on without golf's daddy, one thing has become extremely apparent -- someone could really become someone over these next few months.

Since Tiger Woods broke on the scene in 1997, winning the Masters by more strokes than Blue in Old School, we have had exactly one young guy attempt to make a name for himself in major championships. That, sadly, was Sergio Garcia at the 1999 PGA Championship, battling Woods to the end at only 19-years-young.

At that point, golf was buzzing. We had a young, brash European (!) who not only could challenge our best golfer, but someone who would be on the posters facing Tiger at the Ryder Cup. Exciting, meet interesting.

Sadly, Garcia forgot how to putt about seven years ago and has never really found it, flashing in the pan every now again, like the '07 British Open, but always getting to the end of the puzzle and finding out your dog ate the last piece.

Now, Garcia is a 28-year-old veteran, with a grizzled beard, some negative incidents and is not the face of youth on the PGA Tour anymore.That belongs to guys like Anthony Kim, Sean O'Hair, Ryan Moore and Andres Romero.

These are golfers' we're turning to. Like an Augusta National member-member tournament, major champions have been far from pubescent. Since 2000, Ben Curtis has been the youngest major champion we've seen besides Woods, and it isn't like he's making plans to expand his trophy case.

The PGA Tour needs youth to step up, especially now. How great would the storyline play out if say, Kim, won the British Open and another tournament on the way to the Tour Championship? Journalists around the nation would be jumping up and down in their Charity Golf rain gear to pit Tiger against the "new thing" come 2009.

Since Tiger hit the scene no young golfer has had a chance to wiggle themselves out of his shadow. Phil Mickelson has cemented himself as Mr. Silver Medal but nobody's comparing Lefty to Miley Cyrus. Vijay Singh has had his moment in the sun, even jumping to the top of the world rankings in 2004, but he's as exciting as my "Q" button.

These guys have been great for a touch of competitive nature, but we need someone interesting. We need a guy that hits it 320, putts like he was born without a central nervous system and could beat a corpse in a staring contest.

Did you know that since Woods' historic victory at Augusta 11 years ago there have been exactly six golfers to win majors while in their 20s?

Justin Leonard ('97 British), Ernie Els ('98 U.S. Open), David Duval ('01 British), Curtis ('03 British), Geoff Ogilvy ('06 U.S. Open) and Trevor Immelman ('08 Masters) are the only ones to complete the feat, and you're not talking about the top golfers in 2008 by any means here.

Golf hit a high on Monday, with casual fans around the world inching closer to any piece of media they could get their hands on. Like Bob May, and now Rocco Mediate, watching that was like going to see "Titanic" for the first time. Sure, you knew the ship was going to sink but you wanted to see how it happened and what transpired before the ship went under (or you wanted to see Kate Winslet's chest, whatever your preference).

It's fun to root for those underdogs against Woods, but we talk and talk and talk about someone to match him. With this knee injury, it's time for someone out of that pack to step up. If you don't act now, you'll just be another Sergio.