Turning Stone marked by breakthrough champions

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The event has only been in existence for three years, but the Turning Stone Resort Championship has already developed a well-earned reputation for producing breakthrough winners. Although the event has moved from the Fall Series to the PGA TOUR's Regular Season, there's no reason to believe the trend won't continue this week.

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At the inaugural event in 2007, left-hander Steve Flesch won his second event of the year and completed the finest season of his career at age 40. Flesch's victory didn't really fall into the breakthrough category, but was more of a re-emergence and set a tone for the event.

The 2008 event definitely qualified as a breakthrough for Dustin Johnson, who entered the tournament ranked No. 357 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Johnson, playing his first full season on TOUR, birdied the final two holes to beat veteran Robert Allenby. He's won two more times since and has established himself as one of the best young players on TOUR.

The 2009 event pushed Matt Kuchar back into the spotlight. Kuchar was ranked 101st in the world coming into Turning Stone and needed six playoff holes (and another morning) to defeat Vaughn Taylor. Since then Kuchar has been on a roll and this year is on the verge of playing his way onto the Ryder Cup team for the first time. Kuchar has seven top-10s this year, tied for the most on TOUR.

So, who will be the one to carry the torch this year? Johnson and Kuchar won't be at Turning Stone; they're both in the field for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. There is no shortage of breakthrough candidates, but here are six to keep an eye on this week at the Atunyote Golf Club.

Bryce Molder: He could follow in the footsteps of Kuchar, his college teammate at Georgia Tech, into the winner's circle. Molder has established himself as a solid player; he's 48th on the FedExCup points list. Molder has six top-10s, including a tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open. He's only made one appearance at Turning Stone and missed the cut in 2007. But he's improved his game dramatically since then and looks ready to seize the opportunity.

Vaughn Taylor: He has some unfinished business after losing the playoff to Kuchar a year ago. Taylor knows how to play this golf course; in addition to the runner-up finish in 2009, he tied for 15th in 2008 and tied for 18th in 2007. He's 35th in the FedExCup standings and has finished no worse than 11th in three of his last four starts.

John Senden: The lanky Aussie has come close twice at Turning Stone with a tie for third in 2007 and a tie for fifth in 2009. He's played well on TOUR; he's 15 under in his last eight rounds in the United States. Senden is looking for his first victory since the 2006 John Deere Classic.

Brendon de Jonge: Nine months ago de Jonge was at Q-School trying to improve his status on TOUR, which wasn't great at No. 139 on the FedExCup leaderboard. Today he's one of the hottest players in the game. He has been 13th or better in five of his last seven starts, including a third-place finish last week at The Greenbrier Classic. He tied for 13th at Turning Stone in 2007.

Webb Simpson: The Wake Forest product has struggled to produce following his successful rookie campaign, but seems to have found his footing after missing the cut in six consecutive events in the middle of the season. He made the cut five straight times -- but only once finished among the top 25 -- until missing again last week. But Simpson is a potential landmine of birdies just waiting to blow, as evidenced by his showing at Turning Stone last year when he tied for seventh.

Tom Gillis: His return to the TOUR for the first time since 2005 has been solid. Gillis is 74th on the FedExCup points list and has two top-10s. He missed the cut in his only previous appearance at Turning Stone in 2007. But the Michigander has managed to keep himself on the fringe of contention all season, having missed only five cuts in 19 starts. Four of his last six rounds have been in the 60s.

They're all looking for the breakthrough week that could change their lives. A victory would certainly change their travel plans a year from now, as it would get them in the field for the 2011 Bridgestone Invitational in Akron. That's one time a champion has a legitimate excuse for not showing up to defend his title.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.