PGA Tour predictions, golfers to watch, and next storyline when the 2022-23 golf season begins

news7g09/15/2022

11 6 minutes read

PGA Tour predictions, golfers to watch, and next storyline when the 2022-23 golf season begins

The long and dark golf season is finally over. The PGA Tour will return this week for the start of the 2022-23 season, a 47-event marathon that will conclude at the end of August 2023 with the Tour championship and FedEx Cup crown.

After such a crazy 2022, it’s hard to imagine what Tour would do for an encore, but there are some storylines, players, and events to watch out for over the next 11 months. Of course, LIV Golf will imbue all of this, the same way it has for the past six months. Even if we don’t talk about who leaves next (which we’ll talk about below), the Tour will still feel the effects of its presence in both good and bad ways.

Don’t be sad – I think the opening few paragraphs of this article last longer than the time between Tournament seasons – as we look forward to a historic year (and a mark in pro golf) that will how. Tour.

Five storylines to watch

1. Unity at the top: I haven’t been this excited at the start of the PGA Tour season in a long time. The main reason is that the Tour has divided itself into two different tours. There will be 12 Advanced, Player and four major events that we will see, probably the top 50 players in the world at every event. That’s something that can only be said about Players and four pro leagues in previous years, and it’s thrilling to imagine the top players at 17 of the same events and also providing a clear explanation of which week. most important; No sport has a 47-week schedule that everyone pays attention to all the time.

2. What do majors and Official World Golf Rankings determine? While people keep an eye on Phil Mickelson et al versus the PGA Tour, real determined the legal battle would likely come elsewhere. So far, the major championship organizations – Augusta National (Masters), USGA (US Open), PGA of America (PGA Championship) and R&A (Open Championship) – have probably been excited with the professional golf scene. is changing but has not yet banned LIV golfers from playing their tournaments. I also don’t believe they will do this at all. What? maybe It happened that the OWGR board, made up of representatives from these organizations, could prevent LIV from earning OWGR points, effectively keeping most of their players out of major championships. Looks like that could be the path we’re on, though I’m sure there will be countless twists and turns.

3. What is Tiger’s plan? It’s been a strange year for Tiger Woods. He only played a total of nine rounds last year but also probably created the moment of the year when he waved his hat across the Swilican Bridge at The Open in July. His performance in both masters and the PGA Championship are also unique sources of inspiration. I guess we’ll see a similar schedule for the Tigers in 2023 with perhaps the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club or the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill thrown into it, as well as a high role on the Ryder Cup’s team. The United States as a mate Zach Johnson in Rome.

4. Strategic Alliance PGA Tour / DP World Tour: In 2022, the DP World Tour transforms into a more transit system for the PGA Tour. That was highlighted by the announcement that the top 10 players on the DP World Tour each year will receive a PGA Tour card for the next season – that’s the definition of the feeder system. However, there is still plenty of room for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to continue working together in the future like they did this year with the Scottish Open. I don’t know if they can make it, but I’d love to see some of the advanced events on the PGA Tour schedule as co-accepted events with the DP World Tour. It’s a good way to counter LIV players who are going on an opponent’s tour just because it plays a more global team role. You can move advanced PGA Tour events and have two or three tournaments in Europe each year along with the Open Championship.

“I think for the sake of the global game, a few [elevated] Rory McIlroy said last week at the BMW PGA Championship. “I said that from the very beginning. This cannot be American-centered. “

5. Who leaves next? I don’t know the answer to that question because nobody knows the answer, but there’s a good bet that when the next player leaves the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf League, it will be a non-American. LIV has branded itself as a global tour. The PGA Tour has a chance to counter that by hosting more co-acceptance events in Europe alongside the DP World Tour, but I think any defectors late 2022 or 2023 at LIV will most likely are non-American players.

Three breakout candidates to watch

I fell in love This theme by Will Haskett, who rated the best players of 2022 who haven’t won any tournaments (yet). Looking at the score achieved (your ability to score high compared to your peers) in the absence of a win is a fun way to try and predict the future. Several names appeared on the list this time last year: Scottie Scheffler, Cam Smith and Talor Gooch, all of whom had great 2022 campaigns. I used his list and added some flavor of my own as we looked for some breakout stars for 2023.

1. Justin Suh: It’s not just genealogy. Not only did he win the final Korn Ferry Tour. It’s not just that he was introduced alongside Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa at the 2019 Travelers Championship. All of that plus the way he finished the Korn Ferry Tour season looked like a menace. absolute.

2. Taylor Pendrith: The Presidents Cup later this month may be his go-to party, but the truth is he has been a threat all summer. He has six top 15 finishes in seven starts on the PGA Tour since the Players Championship, and just one below-average putt has kept him from rising to the position he was a top 25 tennis player in the world.

3. Cameron Young: This feels almost too obvious. But if you don’t pay close attention, Young has been one of the top 20 players in the world for a while and competes in many major tournaments in 2022. He’s the Will Zalatoris of 2023, but hopefully with him. Then, I wouldn’t have to sweat to win until the third to last tournament of the season.

Changes are coming

This is the last year of autumn as we know it. This season after season won’t start until January 2024, though it looks like there will still be some events in the fall where players who don’t retain their PGA Tour cards will play to win. the state before the upcoming year (it sounds like stars who are competing in a series of international matches earning tons of money are not to be discussed). Another big change coming this year is that only the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. This number has dropped from the top 125, which is a more recent number. This won’t affect the game’s stars and superstars for the most part, but it could provide more urgency early in the year.

Best Bet on Majors, FedEx Cup

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

Master: Cameron Young (40-1) – He should be more like 25-1 or 30-1 based on how he plays in the majors this year and how well he handles the golf ball.

PGA Championship: Collin Morikawa (20-1) – The last time the PGA Championship was held at Oak Hill was 2013, and the top two finishers were Jason Dufner and Jim Furyk. Both are short-term thinkers who hit frozen wires for irons, essentially in the same configuration as Morikawa.

US Open: Bryson DeChambeau (65-1) – Do I think DeChambeau will win the US Open 2023? I do not. Do I think 65-1 is too long for someone who won the US Open two years ago from now and almost won it back next year? I do.

Open Championship: Adam Scott (65-1) – He quietly finished T15 this year, and The Open is a place where older players can sneak in and make noise much more easily. I don’t think we’ve heard from Scott at Opens.

FedEx Cup: Sam Burns (25-1) – He won the last two Tour championships and went into both of those playoffs ranked in the top 10. He’s a steady money machine – or at least he has over the years. recently – and with a big win here or there next season, it’s easy to see him mixing it up Sunday at East Lake. I also love that he’s improved on the number of strokes he’s hit in each of the past four seasons.