I put on my voodoo witch doctor outfit from New Orleans the other day to reminisce about the future. As soon as the headdress was on nice and snug, I went into a trance ... seeing future golfers winning their first green jackets. Either that, or I had passed out from incense and tightness of the wig.
Nevertheless, as we move into a new era of young golfers taking their shot at fame and notoriety on the PGA Tour, this would be the perfect time to see which will win a Masters title by the end of their careers. It could also be I just really needed an excuse to make my wife bathe the kids because they're filthy from playing outside all day.
Ssshhh ... We won't tell her I said that.
Remember, these guys don't have a green jacket yet, but by the end of their careers, they'll have one. Maybe more.
Let's start with the oldest and work our way back.
Henrik Stenson (38 years old) -- It's hard to believe the No. 2-ranked player in the world is 38 and has zero majors to his name. Stenson keeps himself in very good shape, meaning he'll be able to compete, barring injury, at the Masters for at least five more years. Within the timeframe, Stenson will win one green jacket. His best finish in nine tries has been a tie for 14th, which happened last year. He's proving that experience, for some, is the best teacher.
Jimmy Walker (36) -- Look up late bloomer in the dictionary and there might be a picture of the five-time PGA Tour winner. There should also be a pic of him with the saying, "once the first win comes, the floodgates will open."
The hardest thing to wrap your mind around will be the fact that this will only be his second Masters. His first came last year, when he tied for eighth. Because he comes to this table older and more mature than others without a green jacket, when he gets in contention the first time, the moment won't be too big for him. Don't be surprised if his Masters win comes before 2018.
Brandt Snedeker (34) -- If you thought he cried hard after losing the Masters in 2008, just wait until he breaks through to win his one and only green jacket -- the major he so desperately wants. Every generation had that guy who could putt better than everyone else. Snedeker is this generations' guy when it comes to putting.
Seven starts at the Masters with only two top-10s might not inspire confidence looking toward the future, but for a great putter, it only takes that one special ball-striking week. Just ask Larry Mize.
Dustin Johnson (30) -- Winning in Miami at the WGC-Cadillac Championship was enough proof for me that DJ can putt on crazy-fast greens. Now that the "party" is over and grown-up Dustin is here, hopefully to stay, you can take all the past performances at Augusta and throw them out the window. I don't know that Johnson wins multiple Masters, but I'm absolutely positive he'll have one before he's done.
Martin Kaymer (30) -- The German missed the cut the first four times he teed it up at the Masters, but he's getting better, going from T-44 to T-35 and this past year, to T-31. He should win this event right before his first great-grandchild is born! I joke of course.
His record in the U.S. Open wasn't spectacular, either, but he caught fire at the right time there to win by 8 shots on Pinehurst No. 2 in June. This will prove the case in the next few years for Kaymer. The difference being when you catch fire during a major, you have to be OK in the moment. Kaymer will be just fine.
Jason Day (27) -- Not many in the golf business thought he would be major-less this deep into his career. Maybe it's because he seems older than 27. Maybe it's because he's had to W/D from one Masters. Or maybe it's because in his first Masters appearance in 2011, he finished runner-up and followed that up with a second-place finish at the U.S. Open that summer.
The expectations were almost too much, especially so early in his career. We can blame you know who for putting unrealistic expectations on young golfers nowadays. Nevertheless, Day has adjusted well and continues to have success at Augusta, so don't be surprised if he's one of the guys on this list who ends up with more than one green jacket.
Rickie Fowler (26) -- At the start of the 2015 Masters, Fowler will be playing just his fifth tournament at Augusta National. Unfortunately after the performances he put on for the majors last season -- where he finished top-5 in all four -- those heavy expectations are now going to fall squarely on the his shoulders.
Don't expect the green jacket to come this year. It will come, as the work he's put in to his game with coach Butch Harmon has already proven that he can compete on the brightest of stages. My biggest fear for young Fowler is injury, but maturity will curb the adrenaline rush flames that have made him famous off the course as well.
Rory McIlroy (25) -- I'll say the same thing everyone has been saying since last year's Open Championship. So it's the Masters he's missing for the career Grand Slam? No way! And most on the fringe forget that he only ended up finishing T-15 in 2011 when the meltdown happened.
The other part that's hard to imagine is that McIlroy's best finish ever at the Masters is a tie for eighth last year. But sometimes scars can take much longer to heal than people will let on. That is what I believe to be the case when it comes to the feeling McIlroy has the past few times he's driven down Magnolia Lane.
No one I've spoken to believes he won't win a green jacket in his career, and some (including me) believe multiple are in his future. That being said, because of what happened in 2011, the first one will be the hardest mountain he's ever climbed.
Morgan Hoffmann (25) -- Even though he couldn't hold the lead for 72 holes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month, being able to perform at that level after finding out his grandmother had passed away the morning the event started showed me plenty. Hoffmann is incorporating everything (fitness, nutrition, practice and even aviation) into his golf life.
In doing so, he'll be better prepared for golf three to four years from now than others in a similar situation. Because of that, I see him earning a green jacket in his future somewhere along his journey.
Brooks Koepka (24) -- This year is the first Masters appearance for the Florida native. He went to Europe and played there for a couple years, winning the Turkish Airlines Open in 2014 and following that up with his first PGA Tour win this year at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix.
He ranks second only to Bubba Watson in eagles made on tour this year. Remember, this isn't about winning the green jacket in 2015, it's about winning one in the future and this man has all the tools to accomplish that before his career is over.
Jordan Spieth (21) -- Other than Fuzzy Zoeller's win in his first try, and he credited his caddie for his win, Spieth led for eight holes on Sunday and gave a performance that was almost as amazing. He isn't known for his length off the tee, but he's long enough to win at Augusta.
Spieth's short game and fearless nature around the greens are key. All that fearlessness would mean nothing without being able to make putts. What makes me giggle is knowing he was the same way the first time I saw him as a high school junior playing in the Byron Nelson and knocking down putts like a grizzled veteran. I expect more than one green jacket in his future.