The 2016 PGA Tour season has gotten underway and Jordan Spieth has already picked up from where he left off a year ago. He earned an absolutely dominant performance at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Spieth’s record-setting victory should set the tone for 2016 and unlike Rory McIlroy, we are predicting that there isn’t any drop off in his overall game as he continues to take the PGA Tour by storm this season. Here is a quick breakdown of five predictions we are making for the 2016 golf season.
Spieth Continues To Dominate
It’s easy to forget just how dominant Spieth was in 2015 but when you consider his dominance at the majors including wins at the Masters and the US Open along with the fact that he is still just 22-years-old it wouldn’t be a reach to admit that he is the next big thing in golf. A lot of the talk heading in to 2016 was about what Spieth had in store for an encore and while countless people including in particular Rory McIlroy projected that he would have a down year his fine form at Kapalua provided more reason to doubt that prediction. Spieth has only begun to tap in to his incredible potential and golfing enthusiasts shouldn’t be surprised when he delivers again in 2016.
The Big Three Will Turn In To The Big Four
Spieth, McIlroy and Jason Day have received a lot of praise as the “Big Three” in golf right now but don’t be surprised if it becomes a “Big Four” this year with Dustin Johnson set to make the leap and join that group. Johnson has the pure talent to dominate in the same fashion of Spieth but a couple of close calls and missed opportunities have prevented his ascension in to the elite group to this point. However, those close calls over the years have provided Johnson with some invaluable experience and now Johnson is set to make the leap in to what will become a Big Four this season.
Tiger Will Not Play This Season
Tiger Woods isn’t done playing the game that he loves but the reality at this point is that he isn’t happy enough to challenge the best in the world on a consistent basis and the best thing for him to do at this point is take a step back. Tiger needs to give his body a break and work his way back in to shape and the best thing for him moving forward might actually be to put his clubs away for the season and prepare for next year in what would be the most highly anticipated return in the history of professional golf and perhaps one last chance for Tiger to become competitive again.
Changes For The American Ryder Cup Team
Every year it seems like an inevitability that the American Ryder Cup team will prevail over the European side but there could be a new reason to watch it if the US side decides to bring up some younger players to fill out its roster. There will still be a strong cast of veteran players but it could be time for young players like Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka to step in and provide some new blood in order to transition from some of the expected entrants and provide another level of intrigue for this year’s tournament.
Olympic Decision Will Be Ripped
It’s been 112 years since golf was last in the Olympics but it won’t be all roses when it returns. This year, the world will turn to Rio for the 2016 Olympics. While golfing enthusiasts will welcome the opportunity to watch the world’s best compete on behalf of their respective countries, we can expect some harsh criticism for the structure of the event. Members of the media have already found different ways to criticize the 72-hole stroke play that the Olympic committee adopted for the event but that criticism will be a lot louder when these games are actually played. Expect a lot of the spotlight to be focused on the course itself – especially from environmentalists – as it was actually carved out of a natural reserve.
