January 1, 2021
New Year Hopes and Predictions
Wishing you and all your loved ones a Happy and Safe New Year. Hopefully the problems of 2020 will be behind us soon and life can again proceed as usual. What 2020 taught us is that life is precious and can easily be disturbed. Nothing should be taken for granted and we should treasure the gifts that we have. Good blessings to you all.
Golf surprisingly survived the year in pretty good shape. Golf rounds increased in record numbers. Golf courses showed up to a 25% increase in rounds played. The golf industry has been slowly declining for the past 10 years and as bad as this pandemic has been for people and businesses, it has been a bonanza for golf courses and merchandise sales.
The professional tours made it through the year without major cancelations and few Covid related problems. Three of the four majors were held and even without spectators, the events generated excitement and worthy champions. Tournaments in 2021 are looking to have more spectators attend their events, but they are going to ease into it slowly. All depends on the effectiveness of the vaccines and the infection rates. Golf is captivating even without the crowds, but the cheers and roars definitely add to the excitement. The players love playing to the crowds. Let's hope that will happen soon.
Hopes and Predictions for top players in 2021
Dustin Johnson – (Hope) Number one player in the world. Continue to be motivated to be considered one of the best players of his generation. (Prediction) Could be a year for multiple major victories.
Jon Rahm – (Hope) Older and wiser. He is now ready for the next step. (Prediction) A major victory should happen this coming year.
Justin Thomas – (Hope) 2020 was a great year, but no major victories. Time to win a major again. (Prediction) He will do it.
Rory McIlroy – (Hope) A better mental toughness approach. Improve his wedge and putting game. When all the stars align, he's the best. (Prediction) He will be good, but not great.
Bryson DeChambeau – (Hope) Love the commitment and pushing the envelope. (Prediction) Will do some amazing crazy things and be totally entertaining. Could rise to number one in world, but no majors this coming year.
Webb Simpson (Hope) #6 in world. Will continue to be consistent and in the mix. (Prediction) Will challenge, but come up short.
Collin Morikawa (Hope) 2020 will be tough to duplicate. I think he is up to it. (Prediction) Multiple wins and establish himself and one of the best players in the game.
Xander Schauffele (Hope) Collin's twin. Love his game. Needs a major to firmly establish greatness. (Prediction) A major will happen, just don't think it will happen this coming year.
Brooks Koepka (Hope) A healthy body, so he can go back to be the player we saw two years ago. (Prediction) Recovery from injuries is difficult. The swing changes and the body adjusts and it isn't quite the same, so it could take a longer time to regain his championship form, if ever.
Tiger Woods (Hope) That his body and desire will allow him to play more events this next year. Competition is now the one thing that he is lacking to truly compete for major titles. (Prediction) If he plays a full schedule, he could win another major. If not, I see at least one win that will surpass Sam Snead on the all-time win list.
The second tier of players on the PGA Tour is pretty impressive. Players like Patrick Cantlay, Patrick Reed, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, and Rickie Fowler. Many have been top ten players with major victories. They could have comeback years and be major contenders again. Also in this group are the up and comers like Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff, Tommy Fleetwood, Joaquin Niemann, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Champ and Byeong Hun An, who will be major stars in the future. Golf is unpredictable, which makes it the great game that it is. Each year, everyone starts off at the same point and the race will begins again. Let's hope there are not as many obstacles to overcome this coming year.
