Young guns prepare to play the Chevron World Challenge

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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - There's a new wave of superstars hitting the fairways and the greens of Sherwood Country Club in the Chevron World Challenge presented by Bank of America. They are a trio of twenty-somethings - Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Hunter Mahan - and their mission is not just how to earn their share of the $5.75 million in prize money on the line in the prestigious season-ending tournament, but also how to stake an early claim as three of the top players to beat in 2009.

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Anthony Kim is one of the young superstars who will play in Tiger Woods' event.

There is much at stake in the Chevron World Challenge, the last PGA TOUR co-sponsored competition of 2008, and it's all in the presence of tournament host Tiger Woods, a four-time winner of the tournament that benefits his Tiger Woods Foundation. Because Woods is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and unable to play, chances are that a large percentage of the spotlight will be shined in the directions of Kim, Villegas and Mahan, to see whether they can add on to the success stories they wrote this year.

The scene is the 7,027-yard Sherwood Country Club, a difficult-to-navigate Jack Nicklaus-designed course that will test 16 of the world's greatest players in a 72-hole stroke play format, Dec. 17-21.

The 'Youth Movement' is sure to draw a great deal of attention. That's something with which Kim is completely familiar. At 23, the Los Angeles native began the year ranked 75th and ends it ranked a career-best 9th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He won twice, and on difficult tracks at the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow and the AT&T National at Congressional, along the way carving out a reputation as a player who excels at taming hard-to-break courses. Kim, who also tied for 26th at the U.S. Open and tied for seventh at the British Open, collected eight top 10s in 22 PGA TOUR events, won $4.65 million, finished fourth in scoring average and ranked among the top putters on the TOUR.

Villegas, only 26, vaporized the rankings just like Kim, jumping from 56th at the end of 2007 all the way to a personal best of 7th. Consistency is the key for the putting whiz from Columbia, who made 19 cuts in 22 PGA TOUR events and won both the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship, earning a career-high $4.42 million. Not only did Villegas prove to be one of the most clutch putters on the PGA TOUR, he also showed he knows how to get the ball in the hole quickly, compiling the fifth-best scoring average on the PGA TOUR.

Mahan, 26, is a Californian like Kim, and from Orange County. Held in esteem as one of the best iron players on the PGA TOUR - Mahan ranked 7th in greens in regulation - he also showed an ability to come up big in the clutch. With 13 top 25s, Mahan wound up as a Ryder Cup captain's pick and emerged at Valhalla as an integral part of the victorious U.S. team that also prominently featured Kim.

Vijay Singh headlines the field in Woods' 10th annual tournament at the breathtaking venue of Sherwood Country Club in a talented group that also includes such superstars as Jim Furyk, Fred Couples, Paul Casey, Boo Weekley, K.J. Choi, Kenny Perry, Justin Leonard, Mike Weir, Luke Donald, Stephen Ames and Ben Curtis.

The exciting week of golf begins with a pro-am Wednesday, followed by four rounds of stroke play golf featuring Kim, Villegas and Mahan - three youngsters you can't take your eyes off of - and the veterans that demand attention on their own.