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(AP) — The question comes up every other year in the months leading to the Ryder Cup.
It is an American perspective, offered by someone who has been involved in the matches every year since 1993. He will notice a group of Europeans on the putting green or the practice range, then turn and whisper, "Who's their Peter Baker?"
Translation: Which player hardly anyone knows will morph into a major champion at the Ryder Cup?
Baker won three times in his 20 years on the European tour and only once finished in the top 10 on the Order of Merit. His best result in a major was a tie for 14th at Royal Birkdale in 1998. Then again, he played in only 16 majors. His best season came in 1993, when he won twice in Europe and qualified for his first and only Ryder Cup team.
But this was before The Golf Channel was around to televise the European tour, so even the most die-hard American golf fans knew next to nothing about the Englishman until September at The Belfry. Baker won three of his four matches, including a singles victory over U.S. stalwart Corey Pavin.
Another of his victims that week was Paul Azinger, now the U.S. captain, who was asked the same question Tuesday with a twist.
Could the next Peter Baker turn out to be an American?
"It's possible we could have eight fresh faces," Azinger said. "Our Peter Baker could be Anthony Kim."
Ryder Cup aside, there is a slow but sure changing of the guard in American golf.
Tiger Woods is still atop the mountain, and it could take years to reach him even with the most experienced sherpas. Phil Mickelson might be getting slightly taller from all that stretching, but he isn't going anywhere soon.
The fresh blood includes players like Kim, a 22-year-old who showed his firepower this month by winning the Wachovia Championship with by five shots with a record score. It includes Brandt Snedeker, who flirted with 59 as a rookie, won in Greensboro and showed plenty of panache in his wild final round at the Masters.
Boo Weekley has game to go with his homespun charm. J.B. Holmes won for the second time in his career at the FBR Open and is just outside the top eight in U.S. qualifying. Sean O'Hair and D.J. Trahan, both in their 20s, now have two PGA Tour victories.
"We've had a turnover in American golf," Mickelson said. "We've had turnover the last few years. I think that we've got a lot of good, young players that are going to make the team this year, and I think that last year's Presidents Cup team had a real energy boost from those young players who were energetic and enthused and motivated to play well. I think we'll have, hopefully, the same thing on this year's Ryder Cup team."
Not to be forgotten is that Azinger, who directed the PGA of America to overhaul the qualifying system, now has four captain's picks. European players expect him to go with experience, something Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington predicted a few weeks ago when asked which team was likely to have more rookies.
