2017 Predictions

With a brand new season of golf getting under way this weekend, we thought we'd have a go at predicting who'll be making the headlines in 2017.

The Masters

photo: masters.com

David: It takes a special kind of person to have a major meltdown (and at the Masters no less) at the biggest stage and still come out second. That's exactly what Jordan Spieth did last year. In his three years at this event he hasn't finished worse than T2 - if he plays even near his best no one else can catch him.

Michael: When I did my predictions for The Golfing Guide this time last year, I predicted Dustin Johnson to be donning the green jacket by the end of the weekend. Well this year I'm even more confident that he'll be victorious. The win at the US Open last Summer will have been a huge weight lifted off Johnson's shoulders who had been making a name for himself as the sport's 'nearly man'. I'm backing him to double his major titles with a win at Augusta. 

The US Open

photo: alchetron.com

D: I've been a big fan of his for a while, but now it's time to collect for Hideki Matsuyama. With five wins worldwide in 2016, I'm looking for him to bring that form to the PGA Tour. I expect this to be his season and now that he's fixed his putting he's my favourite for the FedEx Cup.  

M: Jordan Spieth never really recovered from throwing away The Masters last season. This year I can see Spieth coming out with a real point to prove, and although I think Dustin Johnson will get the better of him at Augusta, I think he'll be back to winning ways at Erin Hills.

The Open

photo: indianexpress.com

D: For what I'm predicting to be the only successful major defence this year, Henrik Stenson looks too hot to handle right now. His electric performance at this event last year was the highlight of 2016. The last time The Open came to Birkdale (2008) the Swede battled the conditions to come T3. The leaderboard was peppered with European players that year, so I fully expect a big showing from the reigning European Tour Golfer of the Year.

M: It's always the most difficult major to predict but so I'm going to play it safe and back the current world number one Jason Day. As well as being on the top of his game for the past two years, Day also has form in this tournament, just narrowly missing out on the playoffs in St Andrews back in 2015.

US PGA Championship

photo: bleacherreport.com

D: Incredibly tempted to pick Hideki Matsuyama again but it's impossible to ignore Rory McIlroy when it comes to Quail Hollow. His performances at the Wells Fargo Championship (at the same venue) have merited him two wins including a record score of -21.

M: Following a 2016 which saw him produce one of the greatest performances at a major championship and a stunning showing at the Ryder Cup, I'm tipping Henrik Stenson for big things in 2017. With how well he's been playing lately, I can see him being in contention for all four majors, and he's also my tip to win the FedEx Cup at the end of the season.

Does Golf Still Want Tiger Woods Back?

by Dave Barwise

Photo: USA Today

The wind-up looks good. Controlled at least. With authority he halts his Taylormade M2 a couple of inches past parallel, while we wait with bated breath to see if his body will survive the imminent punishment we know is on the way. On cue, his leading leg drives down, unwinding his hips and throwing everything he’s got onto his left knee. With a clunk, the driver snaps through the back of the ball which whirs off across the wilderness.

In fairness I’m only watching over Brian Wacker’s Instagram (brianwacker1), but Tiger Woods’ swing is looking pretty darn great right now. There’s no jerkiness, hesitancy and *most crucially* no grimace. We have room to be sceptical, but it’s looking more and more likely that his 16-month absence from professional golf will come to an end this week.

But – and this is something that has been echoing around a lot since he announced his return in September – who cares? Sure, the man was an icon for two decades and tore through records like wet paper, but hasn’t the world of golf moved on? A major win certainly looks unlikely. A quick Google search of the odds tells us what we already know, that the road to improbable victory is blocked by a cavalcade of finely-tuned athletes.

Ultimately, Woods’ revolution of the early noughties has come back to haunt him. Pre-Tiger, it wasn’t all that much of a surprise to see out-of-sorts out-of-shape-rs lifting a trophy with one hand while the other was occupied with a cigar. The young and then-scrawny Californian was one of the first to realise that athleticism was the key to reaping the benefits of modern golfing technology, and so he set about adding meat to the bone. The result? 14 major championships and millions of inspired youngsters.

Those kids are now all grown up, grown out and are playing on tour. They have everything Tiger had.

Expect that they don’t.

For me and for many, the greatest fascination with Tiger is that he not just a sportsman. The man is part athlete and part artist. I know that sounds ridiculous and even cliché.  But when you think of the Federers, Jordans and Schumachers of this world, you have to consider divinity separates them from every athlete that hits, runs and reacts as fast as they do. In his book, The Big Miss, Woods’ former coach, Hank Haney, gives a fascinating insight into the first time the two met.

“The things that make a difference... are intangibles: toughness, work ethic, self-confidence, desire, a sense of how to score, and most of all, true passion for the game.

“On meeting Tiger, though, I know in an instant... that he possesses the right intangibles to the highest degree.”

The bench-press made him strong. But it was something completely special and outside of replication that made him great. And it was Tiger’s greatness that saw his ball tumble back to drop into the hole at the ’05 Masters, that inspired his ‘08 US Open win on a broken leg.

But is he still relevant? And does golf want him back? Considering that he easily has more Twitter followers than every Masters champion combined since his last win over a decade ago, I’d certainly say so. And that’s before we consider that it’s a not-very-active account of someone whose greatest achievements came before Twitter’s widespread popularity.

Just about every golf critic (whether in commentary box or armchair) will tell you; one more injury will permanently send Tiger out of the game. Every time he swings the club, his risks his career. But the lovers of the game aren’t looking for great feats of strength. They’re watching for pure unadulterated brilliance – the likes of which will be all the rarer when he’s gone.

Safeway Open Preview: Unleash the Rookies

Silverado CC (North), CA

Thursday October 13th - Sunday October 16th, 2016

by David Barwise

Photo: Patch

The beginning of a new season. Sadly no Tiger this time around, but a host of future superstars fresh from the Web.com Tour are looking to challenge the old guard in their rookie debuts.

The Course

This will be the third time this event will take place at Silverado (and the first time as the “Safeway Open”). The course itself has been described as “straightforward” and is fairly open. Essentially, at just over 7200 yards, it’s a bog-standard PGA Tour course tinkered with by Johnny Miller.

The Field

The Safeway Open looks to be an unpredictable mix which boasts in-form stars (Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey), bright young stars (Smylie Kaufman and Bryson DeChambeau), and future stars (38 graduates from the Web.com Tour). The fact that Tiger Woods withdrew earlier this week after seeing the way that his game paled in comparison to the others in the field can only inspire optimism for this young batch of rookies. Wesley Bryan, the money leader for the Web.com Tour, and world number one amateur Maverick McNealy will also be in attendance.

Last Year

Emiliano Grillo won on his Tour debut as he caught Kevin Na on the final day to take him to a playoff where he trimuphed after two holes. Grillo’s regulation -15 equalled Sangmoon Bae’s winning score the previous year – the first year this event was hosted at Silverado. While Grillo will be back to defend his title, Sangmoon Bae will be absent due to his mandatory two-year military service.

Spotlight

The smart money will be on Casey who has three top-5s in a row, with Ryder Cup teammates Mickelson and Matt Kuchar also looking to capitalise on their great form. Grillo is looking to be the first player to defend his title in this event. Every rookie in the field will be looking to play well and maybe cause an upset – it happened last year... so why not this time?

Prediction

I’m expecting Casey to win, with Grillo to contend (not Na, sadly) and Jon Rahm to crack the top-10 in pursuit of a stellar (full) debut season.

Ryder Cup - Day 1 Player Ratings

by David Barwise

Team USA

photo: mirror.co.uk

Jordan Spieth – 6

The same Spieth we’ve seen all season – not quite his best but still solid and holing more than his fair share of putts. Complemented his partner well, too.

Patrick Reed – 8

Almost made the Open champion and the Olympic Gold medallist look average. A real clutch player and seemed to really feed off the crowd. Holed the putt to win the first point of the day. Expect him to be a key part of the plan on the weekend.

Phil  Mickelson – 6

Bailed out in the foursomes by Rickie, but hit some stellar approaches. Rested in the afternoon and may struggle to get into the side on Saturday.

Rickie Fowler – 7

Looked really strong today. This could be a huge Ryder Cup for him. Led the comeback against McIlroy/Sullivan who played well in the morning.

Zach Johnson – 5

A few errant shots but never let the Europeans get away. Wasn’t expected to play too well this week but held his own.

Jimmy Walker – 6

Went behind pretty early on but never let his head go down. Holed the putt to take them ahead of Garcia/Kaymer.

Dustin Johnson – 7

Highest ranked golfer in the Ryder Cup and was fantastic in the morning. Maybe let his foot off the accelerator after that, but his prowess on the greens will prove invaluable for the Americans this week.

Matt Kuchar – 6

Fairly consistent, but seemed to play a cameo role in both of his matches. May need to improve for Sunday’s singles matches.

JB Holmes – 4

Just didn’t have it today. It’s been an excellent season for him, but it didn’t translate in today’s performance.

Ryan Moore - 5

Rallied to put the fight to the Spaniards, but it proved too little too late.

Brandt Snedeker – 8

Holed everything. If he continues like he played today, he’ll prove to be a real handful. Expect Davis Love III to find a place for him in the foursomes games tomorrow.

Brooks Koepka – 7

In his Ryder Cup debut he found himself against two major winners; he outclassed them both. It would have been all too easy to get anxious or giddy, especially when seeing the comeback from the European team, but this was a really mature performance.

Team Europe

photo: en.as.com

Henrik Stenson – 8

Decent all day. Hit plenty of greens in the morning and holed a lot of putts in the afternoon. Huge pressure to get a result after the disappointing European foursomes results and he nailed it.

Justin Rose – 6

Against top-form opposition all day, but probably could have done a lot better with the putter.

Rory McIlroy – 5

The McIlroy/Sullivan partnership started off as a masterstroke, but the FedExCup champ’s implosion around the seven hole onwards allowed the Californians to come back into it. Redeemed himself by dramatically clinching the win in the fourballs. Big players hit big shots.

Andy Sullivan – 6

The “rookie” never looked out of his depth and dug McIlroy out of a few holes. A costly mistake on 17 set the blues back, but otherwise a good debut.

Sergio Garcia – 6

Put Kaymer in a few sticky situations. Made as many pressure putts as he missed. Seemed much more comfortable in the afternoon. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s partnered with Rafa in the foursomes tomorrow.

Martin Kaymer – 5

Can’t really fault him too much, but it never really happened for him today. Sergio landed him in a lot of bother in the morning and he looked tired in the afternoon.

Lee Westwood – 3

Never looked comfortable. Didn’t get the best out of his partner. Still has plenty to give, but this duo going out together seems maybe to be a mistake.

Thomas Pieters – 7

Secret weapon for the Europeans. Paired with veteran Westwood for his calming influence (he did look a little terrified) but the former world-number-one’s putting clipped his wings. Carried McIlroy for much of the afternoon. A good captain’s pick.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – 7

Hit the straight-ball and got the most out of his partner, which is exactly what was needed. The latest in a line of great Spanish Ryder Cup players. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.

Danny Willett – 5

Given that he was probably under more pressure than any other player due to the reaction to his brother’s comments, he was fairly steady. But steady is often not good enough in these things.

The Ryder Cup preview

by Michael Barwise
One of the biggest events in the golfing calendar is back as the 41st Ryder Cup takes place at Hazeltine, Minnesota this weekend.  

Team USA captain Davis Love III will be hoping his side can stop the rot, after three straight defeats in the competition. But do Team Europe have what it takes to make it four wins a row? Well former US Ryder Cup player Johnny Miller certainly doesn't think so, branding the team as the worst team they've (Europe) had in many years."

Whether this is true or not is up for debate, but there's no doubt that Captain Clarke's team has got it fair shares of problems. 

Firstly there's the issue of inexperience. In the world of golf,  The Ryder Cup is a tournament like no other. The chance to represent your country/continent, as well as playing in front of huge rowdy crowds, takes a player with a lot of nerve who can deal with the pressure. So the fact that half of the European team have never played in a Ryder Cup before, may well prove to be their downfall.

But in their squad they do have the current Masters champion (Danny Willett), Open champion (Henrik Stenson), Fed Ex Cup champion (Rory McIlroy) and Olympic gold medal winner (Justin Rose).  

Team America, on the other hand, have had a less successful end to 2016, with players such as Zach Johnson and Rickie going into this tournament badly out of form.  

But Davis Love III's team has much deeper problems than that. A big factor which has led to their three successive defeats has been the lack of real team spirit in the USA camp and fractured relations between players and captain, resulting in Phil Mickleson to publicly blame captain Tom Watson for the team's defeat to Europe at Gleneagles two years ago.  

What they do have in their favour is arguably the best player in the world right now in Dustin Johnson. He's had a fantastic past few months, winning his first ever major at Oakmont in June and narrowly missing out on the Fed Ex Cup last week. If Team USA are to stop Team Europe's winning streak, they'll need Dustin Johnson to be their catalyst.

Tour Championship

TOUR Championship

East Lake Golf Club, GA

Thursday September 22nd - Sunday 25th, 2016

by David Barwise

photo: heavy.com

Often overlooked by the general public, the TOUR Championship will be the most important and defining tournament of the year so far.

True enough I’ve said pretty much the same about each of the four majors this season as well, but the fact is that many of the big guns have been misfiring. For Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson, who both broke their major-championship ducks, 2016 will be remembered fondly. But for fellow big-shots Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day (among others), there seems to be a sense that the past few months held promise but didn’t deliver.

But all of that could yet change.

Just as winning the FedExCup underlined the brilliance of Spieth’s 2015 (five victories, two majors) and put him head and shoulders ahead of rival Jason Day, claiming the title could transform an underwhelming season into something special. In the nine previous outings to East Lake, the winner of the event has gone on to claim the FedExCup seven times – do well this weekend and you have a sizeable chance of winning the whole thing and saving your season.

In fact, should any of the top five find themselves with a win this weekend, they automatically win the FedExCup. McIlory, Spieth and Knox would also have a big chance of winning too.

Predicting the outcome of this tournament is difficult; East Lake is famously a putter’s course. If you’re not hot with the flat stick, you’re going to struggle out there. I’m seeing DJ and McIlroy as the slim favourites with most of the bookies, but they seem like too much of a gamble to me. I’ve been scared off Jason Day too by his back problems. He may well be the best putter in the world, but part of me can foresee him struggling more than usual to get on the “dance-floor” in the first place.

photo: golf.about.com

Nope. For me, there is a clear-cut contender this year – Jordan Spieth. Somehow, he’s been flying under the radar. I’ve heard the accusations...

“He can’t putt anymore.” (He’s second in SG: Putting)

“He’s been useless this season.” (He’s won twice, and was moments away retaining the Masters)

“He’s passed his prime.” (HE’S TWENTY THREE)

...and they are all groundless. Plus, considering he is the defending champion of both the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup, we know he can perform here.

Besides, I’d rather he peaked before the Ryder Cup than during it....

The Olympic Games: Predictions

With golf making it's first appearance in the Olympics since 1904, we thought we'd have a go at predicting how the players will fare at the Games in Rio:

Photo: getyourgorgeouson.com

Gold medal:

Photo: fansided.com

David: Matt Kuchar
The complete apex of form and experience. Kuch has had a stellar 2016 and, unlike countrymen Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, hasn’t peaked too soon this season. He’s as excited as anyone in the competition and, in a slightly thinned down field, he is perfectly poised to pounce this week.

Michael: Henrik Stenson 
Man of the moment after a sensational display at Royal Troon won him the Claret Jug, the Swede backed it up with another strong performance at the PGA Championship to prove that he is the man of the moment. He's number 1 on the PGA Tour for GIR and is ranked 11th in converting those chances into par breakers. I'm backing Stenson to continue his superb form with a victory in Rio. 

Silver medal: 

Photo: bbc.co.uk

David: Sergio Garcia
Perhaps the only thing that is more uncertain than details of the golf course the guys will be playing on will be the fans on the other side of the ropes. An educated guess would tell of a slightly more rowdy crowd than is typically seen at, say, a PGA Tour event. Not only is Sergio in ridiculously good form, but his Ryder Cup experience could prove invaluable to surviving the “Rio Roar”.


Michael: Patrick Reed 
Speaking of players in form, Reed is having a fine summer with four top 15 finishes coming into these Olympics. The American's high sand-save percentage will come in handy on a course littered with bunkers. With one of the best short games in the business, Reed will most certainly be up amongst the medals come Sunday. 

Bronze medal: 

heavy.com

David: Nicolas Colsaerts
The hipster choice, but with plenty of reason behind it. The designer for this new course, Gil Hanse, took his inspiration from one of his other courses – Castle Stuart. Colsaerts scored as well as any other Olympic player at the Scottish Open (which took place at CS last month). A mixed bag, but the Belgian has had a marked improvement this year (spearheaded with improved putting stats) which looks to culminate this week.


Michael: Emiliano Grillo
Although ranked a lowly 39th in the world, Grillo is someone I can see performing well in this tournament. A quintent of top 15 finishes since June shows that he's playing some good golf, while the South American he may gain some home advantage both with the conditions and the roaring crowds. 

Wildcard:

Photo: sportinglife.com

David: Wen-Tang Lin.
Yeah, that’s right. If I’m going to pick a wildcard, best we go really off the beaten track. His win in the Hong Kong Open a few years ago in a playoff against McIlroy and Molinari shows he isn’t fazed by big names and crowds, and he is on ridiculously good form of late (T5, T3, T2 leading into this week). He’s building up to a win. Absolutely nobody is talking about Chinese Taipei, but I expect a big surprised from them this week.
Michael: Rafa Cabrera Bello
Aside from the big names, I'm tipping Cabrera Bello to be in contention for a medal this weekend. The Spaniard is having a great 2016 with top 3 finishes at the Qatar Masters, the Dubai Classic and the WGC Match Play as well as a 4th placed finish at the French Open last month. Ranked 8th on the European Tour for scoring, Cabrera Bello is quickly becoming one of the most consistent pros in the game. 

How will the Brits fare?

Photo: espn.co.uk

David: Not very well. A fair chunk of attention will be paid to Danny Willett, but his game has gone cold since his triumph at the Masters. Justin Rose has been sporadic too but he does have the maturity to play well in these unfamiliar conditions. Third in this field from tee-to-green (only behind Rickie and Henrik), if Rose starts holing puts then there’s nothing standing between him and a medal.


Michael: On their day, Danny Willett and Justin Rose are two very impressive golfers. But I fear this tournament has come at the wrong time for both of them. After winning at Augusta back in April, Willett hasn't taken to life with the green jacket too well. In the eight events he's entered since The Masters, he's only recorded one top 20 finish. As for Rose, a back injury in June looked like it may well cut his season short, but he's battled back and regained a bit of form with back-to-back T-22 finishes at The Open and the PGA Championship. The big question mark remains over his putting (the former US Open winner is ranked 98th on the PGA Tour for putting). Having said all that, I hope they both prove me completely wrong and bring back home some medals.