The lengthy, darkish golf offseason has lastly come to an in depth. The PGA Tour returns this week to kick off its 2022-23 season, a 47-event marathon which is able to conclude on the finish of August 2023 with the Tour Championship and the crowning of a FedEx Cup champion.Â
After such an insane 2022, it is troublesome to think about what the Tour goes to do for an encore, however there are a number of storylines, gamers and occasions to watch out for going into the following 11 months. Of course, LIV Golf will permeate all of this, simply as it has completed during the last six months. Even once we aren’t speaking about who’s leaving subsequent (which we’ll beneath), the Tour will nonetheless really feel the consequences of its presence in each good and dangerous methods.
Let’s not tarry any longer — I believe the opening few paragraphs of this text lasted longer than the time between seasons for the Tour — as we glance ahead to what will probably be an historic yr (and a marker in skilled golf) for the PGA Tour.
Five storylines to watch
1. Unity on the prime: I’ve not been this excited at first of a PGA Tour season in a very long time. The main cause is that the Tour has functionally sectioned itself off into two totally different excursions. There will probably be 12 elevated occasions, the Players and the 4 majors wherein we’ll see, presumably, the highest 50 gamers on the earth at each occasion. That’s one thing that might solely have been mentioned in regards to the Players and the 4 majors in years previous, and it is each a thrill to think about the highest gamers at 17 of the identical occasions and additionally offers clarification as to which weeks matter most; no sport has a 47-week schedule that everybody pays consideration to on a regular basis.
2. What do majors and Official World Golf Rankings determine? While everyone seems to be paying consideration to Phil Mickelson et al vs. the PGA Tour, the actual defining authorized battle will possible come elsewhere. Thus far, the foremost championship organizations — Augusta National (Masters), USGA (U.S. Open), PGA of America (PGA Championship) and R&A (Open Championship) — have maybe been irritated on the shifting professional golf panorama however have but to ban LIV golfers from enjoying their tournaments. I do not consider they are going to do that outright both. What may occur is that the OWGR board, which is made up of representatives from these organizations, may forestall LIV from acquiring OWGR factors, successfully protecting most of their gamers out of the foremost championships. It looks like that is most likely the highway down which we’re headed, though I’m certain there will probably be myriad twists and turns.
3. What is Tiger’s plan? It was an odd yr for Tiger Woods. He solely performed 9 whole rounds final yr but in addition engendered maybe the second of the yr when he waved his cap throughout the Swilican Bridge at The Open in July. His performances at each the Masters and the PGA Championship have been additionally uniquely inspiring. I’m guessing we see a really comparable schedule for Tiger in 2023 with maybe the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club or an Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill thrown in there, as nicely as an elevated position on the U.S. Ryder Cup group as a vice captain to Zach Johnson in Rome.
4. PGA Tour/DP World Tour strategic alliance: In 2022, the DP World Tour shifted into extra of a feeder system for the PGA Tour. That was highlighted by the announcement that the highest 10 gamers on the DP World Tour every year will obtain PGA Tour playing cards for the next season — which is the definition of a feeder system. However, there’s loads of alternative for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to proceed to work collectively sooner or later like they did this yr with the Scottish Open. I do not know if they will pull it off, however I might love to see a number of the elevated occasions on the PGA Tour schedule as co-sanctioned occasions with the DP World Tour. It’s a great way to fend off LIV gamers who’re becoming a member of the rival tour simply because it performs a extra international slate. You may transfer the elevated PGA Tour occasions round and have two or three tournaments in Europe yearly alongside the Open Championship.
“I think for the benefit of the global game, a handful of those [elevated] events need to be in Europe,” mentioned Rory McIlroy final week on the BMW PGA Championship. “I’ve said that from the start. This can’t be American-centric.”
5. Who leaves subsequent? I do not know the reply to that query as a result of no person is aware of the reply, nevertheless it’s a superb guess that when the following participant leaves from the PGA Tour to go play the LIV Golf League, it is going to be a non-American. LIV has branded itself as the worldwide tour. The PGA Tour has a chance to present a rebuttal to that by enjoying extra co-sanctioned occasions in Europe alongside the DP World Tour, however I believe any late 2022 or 2023 defectors to LIV will principally be non-American gamers.
Three breakout candidates to watch
I cherished this thread by Will Haskett, who evaluated the most effective gamers of 2022 who did not win any tournaments (but). Looking at strokes gained (your capability to rating nicely in opposition to your friends) in opposition to an absence of wins is such an attention-grabbing manner to strive and predict the longer term. Some names that turned up on the listing this time final yr: Scottie Scheffler, Cam Smith and Talor Gooch, all of whom had nice 2022 campaigns. I used his listing and added a few of my very own taste as we search for some breakout stars in 2023.
1. Justin Suh: It’s not simply the pedigree. It’s not simply that he received the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. It’s not simply that he was launched alongside Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa on the 2019 Travelers Championship. It’s all that plus the way in which he closed out the Korn Ferry Tour season like an absolute menace.
2. Taylor Pendrith: The Presidents Cup later this month may very well be his popping out occasion, however the fact is that he is been a menace all summer season. He has six prime 15s in seven begins on the PGA Tour relationship again to the Players Championship, and solely a below-average putter has stored him from rising right into a place the place he is a prime 25 participant on the earth.
3. Cameron Young: This one felt virtually too apparent. But if you have not been paying shut consideration, Young has been a prime 20 participant on the earth for some time now and contended at a number of majors in 2022. He is the Will Zalatoris of 2023, however hopefully with him, I will not have to sweat a win till the third-to-last event of the season.
Changes are coming
This is the final yr of the autumn slate as we all know it. The season after this one will not start till January 2024, though it sounds as if there’ll nonetheless be some occasions within the fall the place gamers who do not retain their PGA Tour playing cards will play for standing forward of the upcoming yr (it sounds as if stars enjoying in a world collection for a ton of cash is now off the desk). One different large change coming this yr is that solely the highest 70 within the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That’s whittled down from the highest 125, which is what the quantity has been extra just lately. This principally will not have an effect on the celebs and superstars of the sport, nevertheless it may present extra urgency at an earlier a part of the yr.
Best bets for majors, FedEx Cup
Odds by way of Caesars Sportsbook
Masters: Cameron Young (40-1) — He must be extra like 25-1 or 30-1 based mostly on how he performed within the majors this yr and how nicely he drives the golf ball.
PGA Championship: Collin Morikawa (20-1) — The final time the PGA Championship was performed at Oak Hill was 2013, and the highest two finishers have been Jason Dufner and Jim Furyk. Both are short-ish hitters who hit frozen ropes for irons, which is principally the identical profile as Morikawa.
U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau (65-1) — Do I believe DeChambeau goes to win the 2023 U.S. Open? I don’t. Do I believe 65-1 is outrageously lengthy for anyone who received the U.S. Open two years in the past from proper now and virtually received it once more the next yr? I do.
Open Championship: Adam Scott (65-1) — He quietly completed T15 this yr, and The Open is the one place the place it is a lot simpler for an older participant to sneak in and make some noise. I do not assume we’re completed listening to from Scott at Opens.
FedEx Cup: Sam Burns (25-1) — He’s made the final two Tour Championships and went into each of these playoffs ranked inside the highest 10. He’s a constant, money-making machine — or a minimum of he has been lately — and with large win right here or there subsequent season, it is simple to see him mixing it up on Sunday at East Lake. I additionally love that he is improved his strokes gained quantity in every of the final 4 seasons.
Predictions for 2022-23 season
- Player of the Year: Jon Rahm
- Rookie of the Year: Justin Suh
- Masters winner: Jon Rahm
- PGA Championship winner: Will Zalatoris
- U.S. Open winner: Xander Schauffele
- Open winner: Jordan Spieth
- FedEx Cup champion: Jon Rahm