AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Ryo Ishikawa was 15 when he became the youngest winner of a Japan Tour event and, two years later, is the youngest player to be ranked among the top 100 players in the world.

At age 18, Danny Lee of New Zealand became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur -- younger even than Tiger Woods -- and followed that with a victory in the European Tour's Johnnie Walker Classic earlier this year. He won't turn professional until after the Masters.

Then there is Irish phenom Rory McIlroy, the old man in the group at 19. He was a wire-to-wire winner at the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic in February -- the youngest champion in the event's history -- and is already No. 17 in the world golf rankings.

They are the Dream Teens, likely the most extraordinary, most talented trio of youngsters to emerge on golf's global scene. And they are all at the Augusta National Golf Club, getting ready to compete, perhaps contend, in the 73rd Masters that begins today.

"I feel really old," said Anthony Kim, one of the PGA Tour's rapidly emerging stars who is all of 23.

Golf hasn't seen anyone like them. Ever.

Not when Ben Crenshaw, Lanny Wadkins and Tom Kite emerged on the PGA Tour in the early 1970s.

Not when Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley were teenagers in the late 1990s.

Even Europe's five major champions -- Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer, all of whom were born within 11 months of each other -- did not enjoy such early success.

"I think it's great for the tournament and for golf in general, for guys that are still in their teens to be coming up," McIlroy said. "You look at Ryo Ishikawa, he's won twice on the Japan Tour, once as an amateur; and Danny Lee won the U.S. Amateur and on the European Tour; and myself. It's good. It's great for golf. Hopefully, it inspires people that are not much younger than us to take up golf and try and one day emulate what we have done."

McIlroy is the most advanced player of the group. With his black curls sprouting from underneath his cap, he hits long, straight and is seemingly fearless. And completely not in awe of Augusta National or his idol, Woods. When he won in Dubai, McIlroy became the youngest winner of a European Tour event since Garcia won the Linde German Masters in 1999.

"He's the real deal," said Geoff Ogilvy, who defeated McIlroy in the World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship quarterfinals in February. "It's feasible that he's going to be top two or three in the world within a year. He is by far the best young player I've ever played with. He hits the ball well, chips and putts well, and his demeanor is fantastic."

Lee is so good that equipment manufacturers are lining up to sign him (Callaway is the reported front-runner) when he turns professional after the Masters. He was six months and 29 days younger than Woods when the world's No. 1 player won the first of his three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles in 1994.

And, after winning the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia, which will give him a two-year exemption on the European Tour once he turns pro, Johnny Miller said he is good enough to win the Masters.

"Some people have been saying that," said Lee, who will be paired with McIlroy and Kim for the first two rounds. "It gives me extra pressure. I don't know why people think I'm so good at golf. Because I won the U.S. Amateur? I don't try to think I'm going to win this week or things like that."

McIlroy and Lee earned their trips to the Masters. Ishikawa received a special invitation because of his extraordinary accomplishments at such a young age, one of the reasons he is followed by a horde of Japanese media who treat him like a rock star. He is the second-youngest player to compete in the Masters (Tom Jacobs in 1952).

Ishikawa was a 15-year-old amateur when he won the first pro event in which he competed -- the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup in 2007 -- becoming the youngest winner in the history of the Japan Golf Tour. After turning pro in 2008, he added another victory this year, the Mynavi ABC Championship, moving him to 74th in the world rankings -- the youngest player to crack the top 100.

"It's just a matter of time before these guys gain experience in major championships," Woods said. "That's something that they have not done yet. Once you start getting a taste of it, start getting a feel for it, it's just a matter of time. But, you look at their games, they certainly have the talent. It's just a matter of gaining experience."

Much was expected of Garcia, Scott and Baddeley when they emerged on the global scene in the late 1990s.

Garcia played in the 1996 British Open when he was 16 and won his first pro tournament when he was 17. Baddeley was an 18-year-old amateur when he won the European Tour's Australian Open in 1999 against a field that included Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie. And Scott was 19 when he needed just eight starts as a pro to secure his card on the European Tour.

But, nearly a decade later, none has won a major championship. Garcia and Scott, though, have each won The Players Championship.

"The quality of golf is definitely getting better with the younger generation," Kim said. "I think kids like myself and other guys are coming out with a lot. Our skills are a lot more honed than just coming out here, hitting the ball as hard as you can and learning how to play golf. Our technique is probably a lot better because we have great golf facilities and great coaches."

The dream teens

Snapshots of the three teenagers fans could be hearing a lot from this weekend

Ryo Ishikawa

Age: 17

Country: Japan

World ranking: 74

Turned pro: Oct. 10, 2008

At Augusta by ... Special invitation

Age: 18

Country: New Zealand

World ranking: n/a

Turns pro: Monday

At Augusta by ... Won U.S. Amateur

Age: 19

Country: Northern Ireland

World ranking: 17

Turned pro: Sept. 18, 2007

At Augusta by ... Top-50 world ranking