To the next generation of great golfers, Tiger Woods asked a simple question Tuesday.

Aaron Baddeley, 26, competing in his second Masters as a professional, is among the next generation of top players. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

Who are you?

Will the real young guns of the post-Tiger generation please stand up and show yourself on the back nine of the Masters Tournament on Sunday? We've seen the impressive resumes; now let's see some results. Age is not an excuse any more. The celebrated kids need to make their presence known now.

Contending at the Masters requires experience, and a host of talented young players who are expected to be the next superstars have had enough at-bats at Augusta National Golf Club to start making an impact on the leaderboard come late Sunday afternoon.

Does Woods - the standard to which all young players behind him are unreasonably held - have a sense that a few of the kids born after him are ready to start pushing the old guard at the Masters?

"Who?" asked Woods, drawing a cascade of laughter.

Well, how about Adam Scott or Charles Howell or Paul Casey or Henrik Stenson or Luke Donald or Sergio Garcia or Geoff Ogilvy? Those are just the under-30 players ranked among the top 15 in the world, leaving off the likes of Aaron Baddeley and Justin Rose.

All of those players have experience at the Masters. Most have posted commendable performances here. None, however, has seriously threatened in the home stretch on Sunday.

That, says Woods, makes all the difference.

"I just think that it helps to be in contention, too, to know how to deal with the back nine and all of the different roars and all of the different things that happen here on the back nine on Sunday," said Woods, who won when he was 21 in his third Masters start, but his first as a professional. "There are so many different things that happen here. I was lucky that I had a huge lead going into Sunday in '97. But in 2001, my experiences of being in contention a few times helped me so much, just because of all of the different things that go on."

With the exception of Fuzzy Zoeller, who was 27 when he became the most recent Masters rookie to prevail, winning the Masters has required a little bit of learning. Rookies have played well, but they don't usually have what it takes to close the deal.

Even two-time winner Phil Mickelson had to learn how to win at Augusta.

"Phil had been there many a time before he won, and it helps," Woods said.

Putting yourself in the fire is the place to start. Contending and failing is all part of the growing process, and too few young guys have been in that position. Among the young players, only Garcia has been repeatedly in the mix at majors - but never really a factor at Augusta.

"You've got to get in there and feel it and go home with the lead Friday night and Saturday night and learn," said Nick Faldo, a three-time Masters winner. "I don't know what's in their mind or how many guys believe they can win a major or whether they've just got Tigerized. It's tough."

Woods' early success set the bar to unrealistic levels for those who followed. Whether anyone expected them to win majors before they turned 25 isn't the point anymore. As they start nearing 30, it's time to stop letting the Masters slip by without putting themselves into the argument with the usual suspects.

"It just takes awhile to feel comfortable, and guys just look like they're feeling comfortable lately," said Casey, who finished sixth in his Masters debut in 2004 and has risen to the status of European star. "You've got to feel like you belong. And guys have got to want it, and they're really wanting it right now."

Now we want to see them contend. The young players are beginning to assert themselves in big events. Ogilvy rode a WGC Match Play victory to win last year's U.S. Open. Scott has won a Players Championship and Tour Championship and comes in fresh off a victory at Houston.

Howell beat Mickelson at Riviera and dueled with Woods at Torrey Pines. Stenson won the WGC Match Play this year. Baddeley has won twice on the PGA Tour since last year's Masters. Donald played with Woods in the final pairing at the PGA Championship. Garcia is a veteran of major moments.

"I think you're going to start seeing that a bit this year because the younger guys are starting to play well," Baddeley said. "I think it's going to be fun the next couple of years trying to catch and push Tiger."

The predicted performers claim they're not frustrated, yet.

"If every other 26-year-old was out here winning majors, I'd be annoyed," Scott said. "But that's not the case. It's something that I would like to happen sooner rather than later, but I think you've got to be a little patient with this, too."

But it's time to start looking for new challengers. Eventually Tom Watson and Lee Trevino stepped up to give Jack Nicklaus a run for his money. Players need to start separating themselves from the pack.

"As soon as one young guy wins, I think a bunch of others are going to win," Casey said. "I think that's all it's going to take. I hope it happens sooner rather than later because we'll be old."

They're not old yet, but they're not rookies anymore. The time for patience is over. Nobody expects these young guns to beat Woods or Mickelson or Vijay Singh this week. But we absolutely expect them to start threatening to beat them. Only then will Tiger get his answer and know who is ready to step up and challenge the status quo.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.