2015 just feels like it’s going to be a big year in golf. Everything seems to be coming together at the same time. Rory McIlroy is the hottest player in the world right now, holding the number one player in the world crown. The young Americans Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed are on the cusp of brilliance, if not already there. Then there’s that guy by the name of Tiger Woods. While the 2014 season was a disappointing one filled with injuries and bogeys, Tiger seems poised to bring a little magic back to the golf world.
Here are our best guesses on what the 2015 golf season will bring us:
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Tiger Woods will win the Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews. It will still be an up-and-down year for Tiger, but he’ll pull things together for the week of the Open, where he has already won two majors. The debate will heat up about whether or not he can catch Mr. Nicklaus.
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Rickie Fowler will win The Masters. Fresh off four top-5 finishes at majors in 2014, Rickie is ready to put together four days of exceptional golf to win at Augusta National. In 2015, Rickie will become a household name in the golf world, if he isn’t already.
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Chambers Bay will defeat the field in the 2015 U.S. Open. With the tournament heading to the Pacific Northwest for the first time, the gorgeous Puget Sound course will not disappoint. The links course features a variety of doglegs, terrains and waste areas, which will of course be amped up for the pros. Trivia fact: Chambers Bay features only one tree on the entire course.
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Rory McIlroy will cement his status as the king of golf. After sweeping the 2014 PGA Tour awards, Rory doesn’t show any signs of stopping in 2015. We’ll mark Rory down for the two other majors on the schedule. So Rory and Chambers Bay will share the U.S. Open, and he’ll finish the year with another major in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
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Scoring records will be broken in 2015. The power and precision of the top golfers in the world will continue to outpace the lengthening of the courses. Sure, the U.S. Open will be difficult, as discussed, but most of the other courses on tour will fail to conquer the best players. We predict a 59 or two at prominent events this year.
- All of this will culminate to make 2015 one of the best years for golf. Tiger returning to roar on occasion. A new bona fide American star. Amazing courses on the schedule. The unstoppable play of Rory. What more could you ask for as a golf fan! We didn’t even mention the best of the rest: Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Billy Horschel, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed. If everyone stays healthy, 2015 is going to be the year of golf.
So who’s ready? Once the holidays are over and the calendar turns to 2015, we will certainly be ready for the golf schedule to kick into full gear. No matter where you’re watching from, there’s something about seeing that gorgeous sunshine from Hawaii each year during the first two PGA tourneys that makes summer feel like it’s not too far away. That’s something we can all look forward to.