The Limerick Summary: Battle Lines Are Drawn

Winner: To Be Determined

Around the wider world of golf: The season gets back in gear this week.

Golf gets underway all over the international this week, whether or not it is the European Tour gambling in South Africa or the PGA Tour in Hawaii. But the bigger story may be the 'Battle of the Ages' that looks to be shaping up this year.

When you get right down to it, there are maybe a dozen tournaments that mean greater to the men than all of the relaxation. You have the majors, the WGCs, and then the 'Flagship Events' and Tour Championships for the PGA and European Tours. But a brief examine the protecting champions in 2016 -- and their contemporary ages -- tells a charming story.

The Majors:

• Masters: Jordan Spieth, 22
• US Open: Jordan Spieth, 22
• Open Championship: Zach Johnson, 39
• PGA Championship: Jason Day, 28

The WGCs:

• Cadillac Championship: Dustin Johnson, 31
• Dell Match Play: Rory McIlroy, 26
• Bridgestone Invitational: Shane Lowry, 28
• HSBC Champions: Russell Knox, 30

Flagship Events:

• THE PLAYERS (PGA): Rickie Fowler, 27
• BMW PGA Championship (ET): Byeong Hun An, 24

Tour Championships:

• Tour Championship by Coca-Cola (PGA): Jordan Spieth, 22
• DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (ET): Rory McIlroy, 26

Zach is the old man -- or, as the analysts seem to prefer, 'wily veteran' -- at age 39 while no one else is older than 31. And while older players did win in 2015 -- Davis Love (51) and Alex Cejka (45) come to mind -- and other vets played fairly consistent golf, 2015 was clearly the year when the younger players flexed their collective muscle.

The analysts are convinced that 2015 was a watershed year when the reins of the tours changed hands and the veterans will now be relegated to also-ran status. And yes, I know the media guys love to say that "the golf ball doesn't know how old you are" but we fans all know that they don't believe a word of it. You can tell because they repeat it as if they have to say it, plus they roll their eyes.

But I'm no longer so sure it's genuine. Although Tiger rewrote the ebook on electricity golfing and all the children have taken it to coronary heart, there's a couple of way to play this sport. (To use a younger example, do not forget how the media men saved saying Jordan wasn't long enough until he embarrassed them into pronouncing he become.) The old guys are beginning to parent this out as well, and 'quick-tits' like Zach will become one in all their position models as they reassert themselves this year.

So this week's Limerick Summary -- the 'establishing act,' because it had been -- genuinely lays out the parameters of this brewing warfare. It can be thrilling to see how soon the antique men make their own announcement this yr!

The youngsters were hot stuff ultimate year

But now Twenty-Sixteen is right here.

The kids need to show

They can stay in their groove

When the vets mount a charge from the rear. The photo came from this page at PGATOUR.com.