PGA Tour 2012 Season Preview

Feature from Nick Bonfield, read Nick's blog online via The Golf Debate and follow Nick on Twitter via @thegolfdebate

You can also read the full 2012 preview and the European Tour preview

The 2012 PGA Tour kicked off last week: the glorious Plantations Course at Kapalua the venue for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Doubts still remain about the flawed Fed-Ex cup - an event that brings the season to a premature end - but the quality of golfer and potential for excitement is undeniable.

Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy - numbers two and three in the official world golf rankings - have taken up membership, and will add so much to a tour already full of charismatic, athletic golfers and seasoned professionals hoping to outcompete the next generation.

The main talking point is, naturally, how Tiger Woods will perform after his return to the winners circle. Doubts have been expressed about his professed ‘return’, given that his victory at the Chevron World Challenge was in a field of eighteen players. For me, the nature of his victory outweighs the size of the field: holing two sizeable putts for birdie on the last two holes to win by one shot is something that would be associated with Woods in his prime. There is no doubt that he will win multiple times this season, and his potential rivalries with Donald, Westwood and McIlroy have the golfing public restless with anticipation.

British Contenders

It will be exceptionally interesting to see how these three Brits fare on the PGA Tour in 2012. The magnitude of Donald’s achievements in 2011 must be left in the past, and the world number one needs to carry his remarkable form into the new season. Even in the face of advanced competition, Donald will excel yet again. His victory at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic and fight back at the Dubai World Championship will have done so much for his confidence and self-belief, and there is nothing more dangerous than a man who truly believes he is the best in the world at what he does. Donald is in possession of the best short game in world golf, and if he can find more consistency with the driver he will win more events than last season. The best ball striker in the world, Lee Westwood, will go toe-to-toe with Donald and also record multiple victories, as his talent dictates he must. McIlroy, buoyed by his career defining victory at the 2011 U.S. Open Championship, will also win at least twice, and it would be a brave man to predict the outcome of a three way British rivalry set to become the prominent draw and captivator of global audiences.

Another Englishman that will fancy his chances this season is Justin Rose. Rose won wire-to-wire at the prestigious BMW Championship at Cog Hill in the 2011 Fed-Ex Cup play offs – the most significant victory of his career – and will be expecting to finish higher than 18th on the PGA Tour money list this season. If he is to improve, however, he must find more consistency with the flat-stick to complement his imperious long game.

A wonderful long game is something possessed by his good friend Adam Scott, and his move to the long putter reignited his charge to become one of the best golfers on the planet in 2011. With Steve Williams at his side, arguably the best swing in the game and victory at Firestone fresh in the memory, Scott will be in contention for the Fed-Ex Cup and money list title come the end of the season. Fellow Australian Jason Day has the fight, desire and tenacity to challenge him every step of the way, and is sure to win on tour this season.

Young Guns - The New Breed

Again, there will be a significant focus on the new breed of young golfers, and many have the potential to record victories in their rookie years on tour. Bud Cauley, a former college player at the University of Alabama, became only the sixth player in history to bypass PGA Tour Q-School and gain his card for 2012. In the eight events that he started, he made over $700,000, including a tie for third at the Frys.com Open. Cauley could well contend for Rookie of the Year in 2012. Danny Lee, the Kiwi, is another with immense potential, and could feature on many a leaderboard after gaining his card through his final standing on the 2011 Nationwide Tour money list. The notable qualifier through the other avenue, PGA Tour Q-School, was Korean Seung yul-Noh. Noh, at 20 years of age, was the youngest player in the Q-School field, has already won on the European Tour, and is in possession of one the finest golf swings in the world game. Look out for Noh to make quite the impression on tour this season, with a rookie victory well within his grasp.

Strong American Contingent

There is so much potential emanating from the American contingent; specifically, the athletic, powerful, vibrant and youthful player that has taken the PGA Tour by storm in the absence of Tiger Woods. There are almost too many players to name in that category, but the stand out performers will be Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland, all of whom will make the American Ryder Cup Team. Woodland, generally considered as the longest on tour (although statistics may show otherwise – he hits a lot of three-woods and two-irons off the tee) is rightfully regarded as one of the most exciting talents in golf. He was in the top 10 in driving distance and greens in regulation last season, and will win countless tournaments in the future if he can improve his putting statistics. Webb Simpson faces a tough test this year after being so unlucky to miss out on Player on the Year in 2011. I don’t expect him to repeat his heroics of last year (second on money list), although he will still finish in the top 10 and record at least one victory. Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson will maintain their phenomenal hitting, and anyone that saw Johnson’s trial with the new Taylor Made Rocketballz three-wood will be rightfully wary. Johnson will flourish, and if Bubba can overcome some of the psychological problems he encountered at the end of last season, he will also have a great year. Much has been made about Rickie Fowler’s lack of victory on the PGA Tour, but he won in Korea at the end of last year which should spur him on to his maiden title. He is a fine prospect with a refreshing take on the game, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his victory tally snowballs after his first win on American soil.

Best of the Rest

Other notables to look out for include Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney and Anthony Kim, with the latter playing some fine golf at the tail end of 2011.  Veteran Phil Mickelson will be chomping at the bit to kick off his 2012 season after a disappointing year last year. He will be desperate to break back into the top five in the official world golf rankings, halt the British charge, resume his rivalry with Tiger and prove to the youngsters that he is still the man to beat. If he can harness the potential of the belly putter, 2012 could be an incredibly successful year for the phenomenally gifted and popular American. Speaking of the belly putter, Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Champion, will build on his Rookie of the Year accolade and is another viable contender for the money list crown. It will be fascinating to see how the ever consistent Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar fare, and I have a feeling they might struggle this term.  The ever popular K.J Choi will use his unbelievable wedge game to win again on tour in 2012, along with South African and former Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who showed signs that he might be back to his best this season after a lengthy battle with injury.

2012 Season Predictions

Money list winner: A monumentally tough one to call, but Lee Westwood will complement his supreme ball striking with a much improved putting season and take the title by the narrowest of margins.

Comeback season: Trevor Immelman – badly hampered by a wrist injury sustained in 2009 and without a top 10 in 2010, Immelman started showing signs at the end of last season that he was learning how to compete again. Two top 10s in his last two events of 2011 and the South African will be confident and raring to go this season.

Young player of the year: Bud Cauley – He will be high on confidence after tremendous achievements in 2011. His decision to forego his senior year appears to have been vindicated, and with two top 5s in eight starts last season, he is ready to win on the PGA Tour this season.

Surprise package: Seung-yul Noh – The 20 year old Korean is a magnificent talent. He has already won at the top level; he finished in the top 10 of the Asian Tour money list in 2010; he has a one of the best swings in the game of golf, and he has the temperament and confidence to make an enormous impression in his rookie season on the PGA Tour.

You can also read the full 2012 preview and the European Tour preview plus the US view & predictions of the 2012 season from Kevin Hill of the UrbanGolfer.