TOUR Insider: 7 players at HSBC you'll want to keep an eye on

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Ranked No. 62 in the world, Hiroyuki Fujita has 11 professional victories on his resume.
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Nov. 4, 2010
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

Be honest. Did you know who Louis Oosthuizen was a year ago? Were you aware that he was an up-and-coming golfer from South Africa or did you think he was that announcer whose voice you heard occasionally. (That's Peter Oosterhuis.) Don't be ashamed. A lot of people had never heard of Oosthuizen before he won the Open Championship earlier this summer.

But what about Martin Kaymer? Was that a name with which you were familiar last year? Did you dress up like Martin Kaymer for Halloween? Chances are that he was just another one of those guys you chose in your Masters pool just to round out your team. Now he's the reigning PGA Champion, ranked third in the Official World Golf Ranking and considered by many the next great young golfer.

Here's the point: When you look at the field for this week's World Golf Championships-HSBC Championship in China, you're going to see more than a few names with which you aren't familiar. But rather than shrug your shoulders and dismiss them as just another no-name who doesn't deserve to be in the field, why not take a look at some of them as a potential future major champion. Here are seven guys playing in this week's tournament whose names you may want to jot down.

Richie Ramsay: The native of Scotland was at one time the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. When he won the U.S. Amateur in 2006, Ramsay was a Walker Cup player from whom people expected great things. Injuries have slowed his progress, but he won the 2009 South African Open and was fourth this year at the Dunhill Cup.

Yuta Ikeda: He's played the Japan Golf Tour since 2008 and has won there seven times, with three victories this year. He won the Bridgestone Open in 2009 and successfully defended the title this season. He played in all four majors this season and finished 29th at the Masters. He's ranked No. 54 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Pablo Martin: He left Oklahoma State and headed for the European Tour instead of staying put and playing the PGA TOUR. He won there as an amateur and stayed put. The native of Spain has now won twice on the European Tour, most recently the 2009 Alfred Dunhill Championships.

Katsumasa Miyamoto: He's won eight times on the Japan Golf Tour and has become known for his streaks of hot play. He once had eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch. Miyamoto is known for his broad smile and positive attitude. No wonder: he's got game.

Kyung-tae Kim: The South Korea native is coming off an impressive victory at the Mynavi ABC Championship, where he defeated wunderkind Ryo Ishikawa. He won the 2006 Japan Amateur and has won seven times as a professional, including three times on the Japan Golf Tour in 2010. He got his feet wet in a couple of major championships this year and placed 48th in the Open Championship and PGA Championship. He's ranked No. 39 in the world.

Jaco van Zyl: His name may be somewhat familiar to U.S. golf fans, since the South African earned his 2007 PGA TOUR card by going through the qualifying process. But he only made the cut in four of 21 events. After playing the Nationwide Tour for half a season in 2007, he returned home and has played the Sunshine Tour the last three seasons, where he won three times in 2009 and four times in 2010.

Hiroyuki Fujita: He's been around long enough to ring up 11 professional victories, including nine on the Japan Golf Tour. Now 41 and running out of chances, he qualified for the U.S. Open and tied for 58th. He's ranked No. 62 in the world and could be under consideration for an invitation to the Masters, an event in which he's never played.

Will one of these guys emerge from this week's great field in Shanghai to win? Or will they be names to jump off the page a year from now?

Either way you've been warned.

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

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