The Open 2012: Tiger Woods' rise and fall opens door for victorious virgins at past nine majors And it's like they've gone to another place mentally. If you were 14 years old watching Tiger, you're 28 now. And if you look at Rory McIlroy winning last year's US Open, Keegan Bradley winning the USPGA, Charl Schwartzel winning the 2011 Masters and Webb Simpson winning last month at the US Open, these are young men. They were the generation Tiger inspired. Azinger's argument is essentially that because of Woods's example the newcomers to the tour are better prepared than ever; not just between the ropes, but more so between the ears. "You can tell that the concentration levels of a Webb or a Keegan are a notch above where the players once were," says Azinger, who won the 1993 USPGA. They embraced what Tiger did with the mind and because of it, when they get into position they are ready to stand the heat. The last nine major winners have all been first-timers and, in many regards, that is more staggering than the statistic of different winners. "Concentration doesn't come naturally," Azinger says. You have to learn to concentrate and learn to stay calm. I've always believed it's all to do with slowing down your heart-rate. Some guys in my generation were rumoured to be using beta blockers. Now there's drug-testing, so there's no beta-blockers. When I was in prime I just tried to synchronise my breathing and was conscious of my walking. You see guys doing that now. Azinger acknowledges that the big cat has been away but refuses to concede that those playing are mice. "Tiger's slip has opened the door for a lot of guys," he said. But there's more to it than that. This bunch would think they could win whatever Tiger is doing. There was the mindset a few years ago that it didn't matter how well you played, Tiger was going to play better. "He was so fit, he hit it so far and mentally they couldn't get in there, whatever "there" was. This generation look at Tiger and think they are just as disciplined and work just as hard as Tiger. In this regard, Woods may be a victim of his own greatness. He set the bar so high and they eventually rose to that standard. If Azinger holds the charitable view, then Ernie Els's reported opinion is controversial. " I look around now and see guys winning, guys who could never have done so 20 years ago," Els said. Equipment advances have had a huge effect on the ability of anyone to separate himself from the rest. Everyone is custom-fitted these days. The belly putter helps people like me. The big-headed drivers mean that everyone hits it like only Greg Norman used to. You can even get clubs that will help you eliminate draws or fades. I'm sure the ruling bodies are looking at all those equipment issues. Driving was an art form not so long ago, but it isn't now. Everyone has a huge metal-headed driver with a huge sweet spot, one that makes bad driving far harder to achieve. The short-game was the same, but it isn't any more. Everyone can get a club that will help him pitch and chip like only Seve Ballesteros could do in his heyday. Maybe we pros do need to have smaller drivers, less lofted wedges and a ball everyone must use. Els has a point; it was made by Ballesteros himself. The late Spaniard, who won twice here at Royal Lytham, predicted that the technological advances would see the field bunch and talent go unrewarded. "It'll come to a point where it could ruin golf," he said. Golf is far from that reaching that point, although it is interesting that two of the last three major-winners have used belly putter. Nobody with a long stick had done it before Bradley at Atlanta Athletic Club. The two governing bodies - the Royal & Ancient and the United States Golf Association - are considering whether to outlaw these putters and have promised to come to a decision by the end of the year. By then will golf be on a record steak of 17 different major-winners? Put it this way. Six of the world's top 10 have yet to break their duck and they include the world No 1 and No 3, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. This trend could run and run.