Coming off of his second place finish in a playoff at the Frys.com Open, everyone and their mother is ready to crown Rickie Fowler as golf's next Tiger Woods.  Having nearly won as an amateur on the Nationwide Tour earlier this season didn't draw much attention, but his play in the Arizona desert turned a lot of heads.

(Curiously enough, there's not much talk about Jamie Lovemark - other than that he is the luckiest son of a bitch ever.)

But, haven't we heard enough cautionary tales of unproven young talents that we can draw on to stop ourselves from proclaiming Fowler as the next ultrastar billionaire in our sport?

Michelle Wie.  Ty Tryon.  Hal Sutton - at least in his 20s and 30s.  Anthony Kim is in a big ole slump.  Danny Lee didn't get out of round one of Q-school.  Tadd Fujikawa.  Care for me to continue?

Some of the above turned out to be late bloomers.  Sutton made a late stage comeback to solidify his legacy. 

Michelle Wie is still blooming, in search of that first LPGA Tour win.  Danny Lee already won this year, but we haven't heard much since - including a miss in the first stage of PGA Tour Q-school. 

Ty Tryon bloomed too soon.  He isn't even playing golf these days after peaking early and buying too much into his own hype.

Don't crown Fowler as an immediate success.  A runner-up is great, but he definitely had some flaws in his game this weekend.  Despite massive length, his swing is very heavy on a lot of action.  Think Sergio's swing before he tweaked it.   But is that cause for concern?

Gary Gilchrist, head of the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy, noted the similarities between Garcia and Fowler - and the trap Garcia entered.

"When you're playing well, you tend to look at weaknesses and how to get better.  If you keep listening to the critics though, like Sergio did, then it can cost you."

Garcia was pronounced a phenom after his 1999 loss to Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship.  And we all know how that has turned out since. 

To date, though, Rickie's swing has held up very well.  And it appears that the sentiment among the keenest eyes in the game is that it will continue to hold up under pressure.  Gilchrist noted that Fowler's mechanics are not what makes him a strong player.

"Could [Fowler] swing on a better plane?  Sure.  But the swing is 10% of the game.  Fowler has a swing he believes in and trusts.  That's more important that a great, mechanical swing."

Renowned teacher Jim McLean weighed in, having personal experience in working with Rickie and his son, Jon, having been a teammate of Fowler's at Oklahoma State.

"I worked with Rickie one time, at the Porter Cup a few years ago when he was just a little bit off.  One thing I told Rickie then was to not change his swing, and that I liked what he did," McLean said.  "I also had high praise for his teacher in California."

McLean made an equally apt comparison to Fowler.  In addition to Garcia, McLean compared Fowler's mechanics to that of Ryan Moore - a winner in Greensboro this season.

"I told the same to a young Ryan Moore and his father  years ago when Ryan's dad asked me about working with his son or possibly making a swing change.  Rickie has a similar type swing, but more standard than Ryan's.

"Rickie reminds me of a young Lanny Wadkins, one of the greatest ball strikers I have ever seen, and about the same size.  Great swings in golf have a certain degree of abanonment.  Most people do not recognize how crucial this is to top class golf.  Rickie has that gift.  My opinion is his swing will last.  Hopefully some strong willed method teacher never gets into his head."

Talking to Tiger Woods' swing coach Hank Haney about Fowler's swing, he simply said, "If it was going to be unreliable it would have already been that way. He sure has done pretty good."

Fowler certainly has credentials.  Having been recognized as the best college golfer in America as a freshman and nearly winning on the Nationwide Tour earlier this year, Fowler's body of work seems to validate the remarks and praise of all three teachers.  Results speak for themselves.

Further, Fowler he has inherent talent inside of 100 yards.  He has displayed a propensity to drain putts from anywhere and be very sharp with the wedges.  If he can make the adjustment necessary to the new grooves next season, he could be lethal even with any faulty mechanics that could manifest themselves.  Just ask Tiger what a great short game can compensate for on Tour.

Gary Gilchrist cautions any young player, though, against using Tiger as a standard for their swing.

"Don't learn how to be Tiger Woods," Gilchrist said.  "Learn to be yourself."

Fowler clearly believes in himself, but that may just be part of the equation.  The man that beat both he and Lovemark in the playoff was a journeyman who has been at his career best in the Fall Series.  If Fowler could be bested by Troy Matteson, then perhaps there is still a little ways to go for him to reach his potential. 

But, potential sure is exciting and the best swing eyes in the game are convinced that this is just the beginning for RIckie Fowler.