2011 Golf Predictions

Well, 2011 is finally upon us and in the world of professional golf it does not take long to get started. The PGA Tour was in Hawaii last week for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. So, with 2011 off to a good start, I thought it might be fun to throw out some of my predictions for this year in Pro Golf.

• Tiger Woods will win a Major Championship (ok, I said it).

• We will see some more 59’s. The once allusive number is now suddenly en vogue to obtain. With the equipment, training, talent, and quality conditions, the number of players who achieve this will grow.

• Rory McIlroy will win multiple PGA tour events this year. I believe he is probably the greatest young player in the world and his second year on tour will pay dividends.

• Comeback Player of the Year; Tiger, Boo or Anthony Kim – they all had sub-par years in 2010 and considering they all have high expectations of themselves, each has a reason to play well in 2011.

• Rookie of the Year; Jamie Lovemark –I am betting on him to win the award.

• Scoring Title; Phil Mickelson – I’m not sure why but I believe with Tiger coming back full time this year, Lefty will have a little extra motivation to play well in the big events. Who knows, maybe he can grab the No. 1 title before Tiger takes it back.

• Tiger retakes the position of No. 1 player in the world –with the personal issues behind him, a new coach, and a lot of motivation, I’ll be watching out for him to climb in the rankings.

• LPGA Player of the Year; Michelle Wie – she has enough experience as a pro and combined with her school load winding down , I believe she is poised for a great year.

• Graeme McDowell continues his good play with at least one win on the PGA Tour and multiple wins in Europe – why not; the guy rolled into 2011 right where he left off in 2010 playing great and making a ton of putts.

• Champions Tour Player of the Year; Fred Couples – now that Freddie has seen the course and is familiar with it, he could be dominant.

• The International Team will win the Presidents Cup – for one, it is in Australia- Greg Norman’s home country and I believe his mates will play hard for him. Plus, it is not easy for the US team to make that trip and play refreshed.

• Dustin Johnson and Natalie Gulbis will not be dating this time next year.

• Champions Tour Rookie of the year; Tommy Armour III – because he knows how to cash in week after week and is pretty consistent. You could argue Kenny Perry because he is still technically a rookie, but I believe he will still play very few events on the Champion Tour to focus on the PGA Tour.

Do you have any predictions for 2011?