A few predictions for the New Year, in no particular order. Some are entirely serious. Others not so much.
- Tiger will start winning again. Or he won’t. Either way, he’ll continue to be the biggest story in golf.
- Tiger will return to his spot at World Number One. Even if he doesn’t break through with several wins, he’ll be close enough in enough tournaments to squeeze ahead by percentage points.
- Sean Foley will make a fortune selling his name as Tiger’s coach.
- Dustin Johnson will win a major.
- There will be four different Major winners again this year. One of them won’t be Tiger. There’s just so much talent out there right now that I have a hard time seeing any one player become dominant.
- Two of the major winners will be primarily European Tour players. That leaves me some wiggle room on the guys who play both tours.
- UnderArmor will purchase Titleist from Fortune Brands. I have no information on this whatsoever, other than a feeling that it’s a great fit. I predicted it back when Fortune Brands first decided to spin off Titleist/Acushnet, and I stick to my guns.
- Someone will shoot a round of 58 at a PGA Tour event. The 72-hole record (254) also will fall.
- The PGA Tour will once again try to fix the FedEx Cup. It won’t work any better than the last few fixes
- Tiger will get a girlfriend—the more or less permanent kind. It’ll be part of his image rehabilitation program. It won’t last.
- Hollywood will announce its intention to remake Caddyshack. Hey, if they can remake True Grit, anything is fair game.
- Lorena Ochoa will return to golf.
- Julie Inkster will win a Major.
- Phil Mickelson’s health issues will turn out to be worse than we thought. He’ll continue to struggle.
- There will be another serious rules scandal. I just don’t think that the new generation of players has ever paid much attention to the rules. It’ll cost someone.
- The white club fad will quickly burn out—I hope. I understand it on putters. Not so much on drivers.
- A Tour player will start using a colored golf ball. Since Srixon is pushing the optic yellow, I think it’ll be one of their staff.
- The next big thing in clubs will be forged game improvement irons.
- At least one manufacturer will continue to make clubs with the now-banned grooves.
- In a golf ball arms race, one manufacturer will offer a six layer ball.
- The average golf score will continue to hover around 100.
- Your friendly neighborhood Golf Blogger will break 80 twice in a single season.
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My predictions for 2011 from another blog.
10. John Daly makes an amazing comeback, winning his 3rd major.
9. The LPGA sees its first transgender winner when Amy “Big Jake” Patterson laps the field at the Dinah Shore (aka Kraft Nabisco).
8. Rickie Fowler wears an all red outfit on Sunday
7. Rory McIlroy trades in his curly highlighted locks for a flat-top.
6. Phil Mickelson wins the US Open after his caddy mysteriously loses Phil’s driver coming into the last 2 holes
5. Steve Haskins wins the money title on the Champions Tour.
4. Roller Derby replaces the LPGA as the most watched female/transgender sport on TV.
3. In a surprise move, the PGA moves the 2011 championship to Canton Country Club in Canton, MS, citing concerns about the greens at Atlanta Country Club.
2. In a move to avoid unnecessary litigation, the LPGA opens their membership to anyone willing to wear a dress.
1. Jack Nicklaus comes out of retirement, stating: “I think I have one more major in me.”
Here are some of mine – I will be more committal than you on some:
1) Tiger will win in 2011.
2) Tiger will not regain World #1 this year. With wins now rolling off, his points will drop too quickly and he won’t have a year like 2009. Westwood will do well enough to maintain his lead over Tiger.
3) Sean Foley won’t be Tiger’s coach by the end of the 2011.
4) Tiger will win one or zero Majors this year – Not two or more.
5) A guy named Lee, Rory or Graeme will win a major.
6) The PGA may try and fix the FedEx Cup, but it won’t be called that after this year. (That seems like a 2012 prediction, but the announcement will be before the end of 2011)
7) The Yellow Ball thing will spread to two more brands (Srixon, Bridgestone, and Wilson already have them)
Fortune Brands- I continue to think that it will be Nike that joins with Fortune Brands. Nike about gets no respect against their archnemesis Adidas vs their brand Taylormade. Nike also is essentially a one golfer stable- picking up Titlist (and keeping that name) immediately changes things in a big way. Under Armour I now think will end up joining with Callaway. These two companies joining will be the only way for Under Armour to jump the the stature in golf they wish to be, and will be the only way for Callaway to attempt to maintain their current position.
I’m with you on (6), and had it on my list but dropped it because I think the announcement won’t come until next year.