January 8, 2022
2022 Hopes, Observations and Predictions
May 2022 be a healthy and prosperous year for you and your family. Let's hope that we can have a year of normalcy, which hasn't been the case recently.
My Hopes for this coming golf season
Tiger Woods – My hope is for a continued healthy recovery for his damaged leg. Would love to see him in any kind of action this coming year. Winning would be too much to ask for. But this is Tiger Woods, so impossible is a possibility!
Rory McIlroy – Hope that he finds someone that can teach him proper wedge shots inside 100 yards. If Jordan Spieth where hitting his wedge shots, Rory might have won 20 times! Only a small improvement would add five wins and possibly a major.
Bryson DeChambeau – Hope that he finds comfort being in the public spotlight. He wants the attention, but doesn't handle it well. He comes through as a good person that means well, but interpersonal skills are usually not the strong points of introspective scientists.
Rickie Fowler – Hope he makes a comeback into at least the top fifty in the world. The Tour's nicest guy is a role model for decency and sportsmanship. Having him on the leaderboards on a regular basis is only good for the game,
Collin Morikawa – Hope he continues to succeed and grow. What an amazing success story! Hope so many accomplishments and accolades at an early age will not hamper his search for sustained improvement. Collin appears to be one of a kind. His coach, Rick Sessinghaus, has guided him perfectly with technical swing and mental training. Collin might be the Tour's best player right now.
Jon Rahm – Hope that 2021 was just the beginning of his greatness. He reached number one in the world and became a US Open winner. Talent was evident right away in his career, but mental lapses caused problems. Jon seems to have figured it out to be on top of the golf world. 2022 will prove that he belongs. I think he will.
Brooks Koepka - Hope for good health for the coming year. He plays golf more like a football player, in that he would rather run over you than finesse you. He has a game to do both, but his personality is push and push. It works when others are being careful. I think that is why he has been so successful in major championships and also why is has failed noticeably in recent majors.
Phil Mickelson – Hope for continued health for next year. As he gets older, his good and bad tournaments become more extreme. We saw greatness and Phil at his best when he won the PGA Championship, but he didn't come close the following three months. That major win might have been a miracle, but Phil is made for that. Don't be surprised if there is still more majors in his pocket.
Justin Thomas – It is time for him to win another major this year. He has continued to play well, but has not been able to take the next step. I think he is trying too hard. Being around Tiger and gaining some of his positive mental tenacity might be the key to unlock more wins. Hope he will be able to take the next step this year on what should be a Hall of Fame career.
Viktor Hovland – Hope he continues to entertain and win. Can't help but root for a fellow Norwegian, but it is very easy, because of his infectious smile and personality. I'm not sure he can win a major this coming year, because of his short game, but he keeps working on it and improving. Those Norwegians are stubborn, so don't put it past him.
Jordan Spieth - Last year's wish for Jordan was similar to Rickie Fowler's this year. Good guy that is good for golf and great entertainment. He is back playing well and contending. The wish is to continue and build on last year. Don't complicate the swing and be more natural. That's what got you back. Be Jordan Spieth and not someone else. Jordan was pretty darn good. Trust what you have.
Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Jason Day, Justin Rose, Charles Schwartzel, Matt Kucher, Francesco Molinari, Zach Johnson, Lee Westwood. – All these players were once premier marquee players who had sub-par years for themp. in 2020. Are the new players pushing these players out? Are they getting past their prime? My hope is that we will see a resurgence in their games, if not the crop of new players will overtake them. in a hurry.
Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer, Will Zalatoris, Talor Gooch, Max Homa – These are just a few of the stars of the future. There will be major winners in this group in years to come, but only time will tell which ones will have the right stuff to reach the top.
The state of the game has never been better. The talent level at all stages of the game just keeps growing. Junior, high school, college, and amateur golf, both women and men, have set new records for participation and lower scoring records. Hopefully 2022 will be pandemic free and we will be able to witness continued greatness on the golf course.
Happy New Year!
