Darren Clarke has tipped giant South African Anton Haig as a future Major winner while fellow Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and David Howell see him as a top 10 player.
All three have been watching Haig’s progress and were not surprised when the 20-year-old finally broke through with victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic last week.
”He is a massive talent and is going to be a fantastic player. He hits the ball miles and has a great short game — he has the whole package and is a Major winner in the making,” said Clarke.
”I don’t know who to compare him with but he obviously proved how good his game was last week by winning. He is only 20 and he has a massive future.”
Westwood has played with the 1,93m Haig a lot over the past five years and knows his game well. He said he had the potential to be one of the top 10 golfers in the world.
”He has certainly developed as a person and a player. He has good prospects in the future,” said the Englishman.
”With the right guidance, he could be in the top 10 or top 12 in the world and he has got a massive advantage with his length.”
It was the manner in which Haig prevailed over many of the game’s top stars, including Mike Weir, Colin Montgomerie, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, that caught the attention last week.
Howell, who had a solid 2006 with three European Tour victories, is in the same management group as Haig and said he has been amazed at his progress over the past six months.
”He is very confident and I have seen a lot more of his game over the past six months, and he is obviously a fantastic talent,” he said.
”To win such a big event last week in the manner in which he did just goes to show what a great future he has.”
Haig plays the Singapore Masters this week, teamed with Clarke and 2005 winner Nick Dougherty in the opening round. — Sapa-AFP