Shubankar Sharma was 10 years old when he first met Ernie Els at a junior clinic conducted by the World Golf Hall of Famer. Sharma was one of the kids pulled from the crowd to hit shots; in fact, he was last in line to take some swings with Els’ 9-iron.

None of the other kids had any success with the club that was built for a grown man known for launching long tee shots with his smooth swing. Sharma was able to make solid contact, though.

“I went on to hit two great shots, which went towards the 100-yard marker,” Sharma said when telling the story to the Hindustan Times.

After signing an autograph, Els offered some encouragement to the young Indian boy.

“Ernie said I’ll be a great player one day if I kept practicing,” Sharma recalled. “… It just made my day.”

Little did Els know that his act of kindness could pay dividends a decade later. Sharma, now 21, is part of a young contingent that could play a crucial role for Captain Els in upcoming Presidents Cups. Els will lead the International Team next year at Royal Melbourne. Quail Hollow, which is hosting this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, will host the 2021 Presidents Cup.

Professional golf is trending younger and younger, and that’s true around the globe. Several 20-somethings from a myriad of locales have authored impressive performances this year, boosting enthusiasm to the International Team’s outlook after a lopsided loss last year at Liberty National. Several of the International Team’s top prospects hail from Asia, where Els said the growth has been “beyond belief” since he started competing there a quarter-century ago.

“The momentum is going only one way,” he said. “We’re going to see more and more great players emerging from Asia and winning all around the world.”

Els, a four-time major champion, holds the International record for matches won (20) and dueled Tiger Woods in the event’s most dramatic moment, the sudden-death playoff in 2003 that resulted in the Presidents Cup’s only tie. Els played in eight Presidents Cup, making his debut in the second Cup in 1996.

“When I first played the Presidents Cup, I was one of the young guys,” he said. “Time flies, as they say.”

Now he has a tough task ahead of him. The Internationals are coming off a 19-11 loss last year at Liberty National, their sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of the United States.

The Americans have a youthful core of players like Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka that could form a strong contingent for more than a decade.

Els can be enthused by the young players who have emerged on the International side, though. Sharma was the 54-hole leader at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and has won twice on the European Tour this season. He shot a 61 in his victory at the Joburg Open and a final-round 62 to win the Maybank Championship.

“When he makes birdies, he doesn’t stop,” said South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, a fellow European Tour player. “He breaks through the barrier and just keeps making birdies.” (Click here to read Cameron Morfit's story on Sharma.)

Three young International players – reigning THE PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim (22), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (28) and Cameron Smith (24) – advanced to the Round of 16 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (Smith and Kim reached the quarterfinals). Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira beat Kim in a playoff to win the RBC Heritage. Frittelli, Els’ fellow South African, looks poised to continue their country’s strong Presidents Cup presence. And, less than two weeks ago, Joaquin Niemann finished sixth at the Valero Texas Open; the Chilean teenager was making his pro debut after a long stay atop the world amateur rankings.

China’s Haotong Li may have authored the group’s most impressive performance after beating Rory McIlroy to win the Dubai Desert Classic. Els saw Li’s potential first-hand, playing alongside Li when he shot 63 in the final round of The Open Championship last year at Royal Birkdale.

By the time the Presidents Cup arrives at Quail Hollow, some of these fresh International faces could be making their second Presidents Cup appearance. Their enthusiasm could be emboldened by the experience they gained playing for Els in 2019.

“These young kids, they’re not scared,” Els said. “They’re winning young, they’re fired up, just like we all are.”

As Smith, who’s hoping to make his Presidents Cup debut next year in his home country, noted: “A little fresh blood never hurts.”

Of the top 17 International Team-eligible players, eight are 28 or younger. Six of them have yet to don the Presidents Cup uniform. In addition to Sharma – who’s currently 17th on the International Team list and 71st in the world rankings -- here’s a quick look at the young players ahead of him who could play important roles at Quail Hollow:

Satoshi Kodaira

Age: 28

Country: Japan

FedExCup ranking: 40

Official World Golf Ranking: 27

2018 highlights: Earned his first PGA TOUR victory at the RBC Heritage, where he beat Si Woo Kim in a sudden-death playoff. Kodaira bounced back from a first-round 73 by shooting 63-70-66 over the final 54 holes. He almost beat Phil Mickelson at this year’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, taking a 4-up lead before losing on the 18th hole.

Career notes: The son of a teaching pro, Kodaira is a six-time winner on the Japan Tour. He also is married to 12-time JLPGA winner Miho Koga and is mentored by World Golf Hall of Famer Jumbo Ozaki, who is considered Japan’s version of Arnold Palmer because of his charisma and popularity. Ozaki won more than 90 times on the Japan Tour.

Quotable: “This is a stage I've been dreaming about. And having this opportunity to play full-time is a dream come true. To win this quickly is a big surprise to me.” -- Kodaira

Kiradech Aphibarnrat

Age: 28

Country: Thailand

FedExCup ranking: NR

Official World Golf Ranking: 32

2017-18 season highlights: Aphibarnrat further cemented his reputation as a match-play specialist by winning the European Tour’s World Super 6 Perth and advancing to the quarterfinals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. It was his second consecutive fifth-place finish in a WGC after he also finished T5 in Mexico.

Career notes: Aphibarnrat is sometimes referred to as the “Asian John Daly” because of his long swing, which extends well past parallel, his portly physique, colorful dress and carefree attitude. The Super 6 was Aphibarnrat’s second match-play win on the European Tour. Three years ago, he won the Paul Lawrie Match Play. He owns eight worldwide titles.

Quotable: “Kiradech is a wonderful match-play player. He has a very affable attitude. He’s very laid-back and very easy-going, but a wonderful player. He’d be a wonderful asset to the team.” – Former Presidents Cup captain Nick Price

Cameron Smith

Age: 24

Country: Australia

FedExCup ranking: 25

Official World Golf Ranking: 40

2017-18 season highlights: While Smith earned his first PGA TOUR victory last year, one could argue that this has been his breakout season. He has five top-10s in 12 starts this season, including a third-place finish at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and fifth-place showings at a WGC (Dell Technologies Match Play) and major championship (Masters).

Career notes: Smith has a knack for performing his best when the stage is biggest, as evidenced by his two top-fives in majors. He eagled the 72nd hole at the 2015 U.S. Open to finish T4, then fired a second-nine 30 as part of his Sunday 66 at this year’s Masters. Smith played the Asian Tour in 2014 after missing his tee time at Q-School, but used success at the CIMB Classic (T5) to carve a path to the PGA TOUR. After winning last year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Jonas Blixt, Smith picked up his first individual win as a professional at the Australian PGA in December. Click here to read Ben Everill’s feature on Smith’s propensity to play his best with his back against the wall.

Quotable: “He has a sense for the occasion.” – Grant Field, Smith’s long-time coach.

Haotong Li

Age: 22

Country: China

FedExCup ranking: NR

Official World Golf Ranking: 44

2017-18 season highlights: Li held off two of the world’s top 20 players to win the Dubai Desert Classic. He finished a shot ahead of Rory McIlroy and two ahead of Tyrrell Hatton. Li birdied four of his final six holes, including Nos. 15, 17 and 18, to hold off the 2016 FedExCup champion “I made him win it in the end, which was all I could do, and he played very well,” McIlroy said. The victory made Li the first Chinese player to crack the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Career notes: Li is just 22, but he’s been a pro since 2011. He won PGA TOUR China’s Order of Merit in 2014 after winning three times. He won his first European Tour title at the 2016 China Open. He finished third at last year’s Open Championship after that final-round 63 at Royal Birkdale.

Quotable: “I played with Haotong in the final round of last year’s Open Championship. He has a fearless approach and a nice attitude. You could see he was not backing off. The wind was picking up, too. That was a hell of a round.” – Els

Dylan Frittelli

Age: 27

Country: South Africa

FedExCup ranking: NR

Official World Golf Ranking: 52

2017-18 season highlights: Frittelli got off to a strong start this year to crack the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and qualify for his first Masters. He finished T6 against a strong field in Dubai and then fifth at a European Tour stop in Malaysia. He also finished T11 at The Honda Classic. Frittelli is in the field this week after finishing T20 at the Valero Texas Open.

Career record: Before finding success last season, Frittelli was best known for holing a 20-foot putt that clinched the 2012 NCAA title for the Texas team that also included Jordan Spieth. The putt was the final stroke of Frittelli’s college career. He won on the Challenge Tour, Europe’s version of the Web.com Tour, in 2013 but had to wait three years until he won again. Another Challenge Tour title gave him his European Tour card, and he won twice on the European Tour last year. Ranked 460th in the world at the end of 2015, he cracked the top 50 for the first time in January.

Quotable: “Ernie and Retief (Goosen) are the guys who really inspired me to play golf. Watching those guys achieve what they did made me think that maybe I could do this one day. I met Ernie right before I turned pro and he told me, ‘Keep your head down and keep playing. Your game is good enough. You’ll make it.’ I’ve had some ups and downs, but I’ve kept those words in my head during the tough times.” -- Frittelli