This is the worst time of the year for golf. After a 4 week break, the PGA Tour is back to play. This week’s Hawaiian Classic is the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Unfortunately, I cannot be excited about this event. Do not get me wrong, I am happy to see the pros back to work, but this tournament just does not generate the excitement of other events. I am not sure why, but well, I am just not sure.
I am motivated to play golf. I am excited to prepare for the upcoming season. I am keen to continue to learn more about the mental side of the game, but watching….nope it is just not there.
It could be that I still have 3 months to wait to play! I could be that my the cold weather is finally taking its toll! Or maybe I am just sad I have not swung a club in 2 months.
Ok, I have led you down a negative path on purpose! I am actually very motivated about the upcoming golf season. I am actively searching for new drills and purposely reading the adventures of my fellow golfing fanatics. If you are looking for a couple great blogs to read, check out the traveling adventures of Josh at Golf is Mental or Pete’s golfing news at White Dragon Golf. The musings of SVGolfer are always fun. And of course the golf articles at Pundit Arena (you may recognize the author of some golfing articles). Reading these, and many more blogs, always keep me smiling.
It is important to stay positive and enthused about golf to be successful. I choose to be positive about golf and life. I believe that I am in control of my moods by the way I think, act, and accept what comes my way every day. This is a low point of golf for me because of the time of year, but instead of focusing on the negative, I choose to run towards the positive.
Tomorrow, the 2015 PGA Tour Golf Season starts! After a short two-week rest, the Frys.com tournament will again start for another exciting season of golf. For some players fresh off the Ryder Cup event in Gleneagles, Scotland, the two-weeks was a blur, but they seem ready for the stresses of competitive golf.
Last year’s winner of the Frys.com Open Golf Tournament, Jimmy Walker, is hoping for another quick start to this year’s golf season. Winning three events early last season, Walker was able to carry on this momentum through most of the 2014 golf season. His quick start earned him seventh overall at the FedEx Cup standings. His play at the Ryder Cup was also noteworthy and he hopes to build on his steady play going into 2015.
The first seven PGA Tour events are a great opportunity for journeymen to break into the winner’s circle and earn enough money to secure their card for the 2016 golf season. This time of year is fantastic for the golfing fans because it allows us to watch great golf and not stress about missing the big name players compete.
The start of the PGA Tour is always a great time of the year. Predictions about who will win the majors, abounds. I have made my predictions and you can read them at PunditArena.com. Last year, I picked two winners, a third pick came second, and one pick…well, the first three were good.
Players to watch this year are Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, and Graeme McDowell. These players are already household names, but I expect them to do bigger things this year. A dark-horse who may surprise everyone will be Graham DeLaet. He played strong last year after coming back from a back injury and the 2015 season may be the season he wins a couple of tournaments. If you are interested in the power rankings by the PGA Tour, click here.
The 2015 PGA Tour golf season starts tomorrow. This year will see the rise of many great players and the passing of the torch to the young lions. Although many great names will still be near the top of the leaderboard, expect players like Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Jason Day to also be at the top!
I am a grateful golfer! Bring on the 2015 PGA Tour golf season!
Rickie Fowler is a rising star. He is a hungry lion who is proving that the young players on the PGA Tour are here to stay. After turning pro in 2009 at the age of 21, Fowler has steadily improved his standing within the professional ranks. Since the moment he emerged on tour, he has been touted as one of the future stars of golf.
Fowler’s first three years on tour proved that the early predictions of his potential were well founded. His record of one win, 12 top 10s, 39 top 25s, out of 75 events was impressive. More importantly, he demonstrated improvement each year by his climb up the FedEx Cup standings and his steady movement up the money list. Overall, Rickie Fowler was a golfing professional who pundits considered as a future champion.
The PGA Tour season of 2013 was not as kind to Fowler. He faltered in the money list and appeared to be human. He was not as prominent on the Tour as the previous three years and his game seemed headed in the wrong direction. The main reason for Fowler’s failing game could be attributed to the death of his swing coach Barry McDonnell in early 2011. His play in 2012 was erratic and showed signs of weakening throughout the entire season. He continued through the 2013 season without a swing coach and to no surprise, his erratic play continued. After finishing 38th in the FedEx Cup standings, his second worst performance since turning pro, Fowler must have realized it was time for a change.
Enter Butch Harmon in December 2013. Not surprisingly, Fowler’s golf game immediately improved as seen by his eighth place finish in Thailand. Already considered to have a great swing, Fowler needed some minor adjustments to get back to his great play. Coaching some of golf’s great players, Harmon was the right person, at the right time, to make a dramatic impact on Fowler’s golf game.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Butch and been around with him and with the other guys that he’s worked with,” Fowler said. “He’s kind of seen me develop over the last few years and really felt that with the experience he has as a teacher he could help me reach my goals and aspirations and help me be the best player that I can be.” (PGATour.com)
“It’s just basically taking what I have and turning it and cleaning it up and making it the best it can be,” Fowler said of his work with Harmon. (PGATour.com)
Suddenly, Fowler had renewed hope for the 2014 season. Starting off slow, except for his performance at the Masters, Fowler did not perform as expected. However, in June something happened. Fowler found his golf game and the second half of the 2014 PGA Tour season was what everyone was waiting for.
The biggest change in Fowler’s game was his attitude. He impressed Harmon by his desire to be a Major champion. “I love the kid,” Harmon said. “The thing I like is he’s been saying ‘I want to be known more for my golf than my clothes and my hat. I want to contend in majors.” Well, the Fowler/Harmon combination did not disappoint! Fowler’s performance in the 2014 Majors was outstanding. Overshadowed by the PGA Player of Year, Rory McIlroy, Fowler was the best overall performer in the 2014 Majors.
Tournament
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Master Tournament
DNP
DNP
DNP
T38
T27
T38
T5
US Open
T60
CUT
DNP
CUT
T41
T10
T2
The Open Championship
DNP
DNP
T14
T5
T31
CUT
T2
PGA Championship
DNP
DNP
T58
T51
CUT
T19
T3
There is little question that the golfing experts are curious about Rickie Fowler. I bet many are asking:
What is next for Rickie Fowler?
Is Fowler ready to claim his first Major championship?
In 2015, can Fowler repeat his stellar play in the Majors?
Is Rickie Fowler here to stay?
If Rickie Fowler stays with Butch Harmon, great things are expected from him in 2015. There are many great players on the PGA Tour, but this upcoming year will be a breakout year for Rickie Fowler. If he wins the Masters, then expect him to win a second Major! He will build on the momentum of an early win and will challenge Rory McIlroy for the title of world’s number one golfer! Regardless, expect Rickie Fowler to win a Major championship in 2015.
“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Payne Stewart Award, which is presented annually to a player who exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999. At the time, Southern Company was the sponsor of the event, and a year later, the PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award to honor his legacy. Southern Company, the Official Energy Company of the PGA TOUR, has sponsored the award since its inception.” (PGATour.com)
Awarded on 9 September 2014, this year’s winner is Sir Nick Faldo. An accomplished golfer, Sir Nick won 39 times world-wide, which included six Major Championships. Additionally, Sir Nick holds the record for the most appearances and most points won at the Ryder Cup.
In 1996, Sir Nick launched the Faldo Series to offer opportunities to male and female golfers under the age of 21 from around the world. There are over 7,000 participants each year and this charity has produced some notable young players such as Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng, and Nick Dougherty.
“My main reason for starting the Faldo Series was to try and give something back to the game that has given me so much.”
In 1998, Sir Nick Faldo received the Order of the British Empire. In 2009, he was invested as a Knight Bachelor for his services to golf. These are just two of the many awards Sir Nick has received through the years.
Sir Nick Faldo joins the company of great men like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, and Tom Watson. All have dedicated their lives to improving the world around them and happened to use golf as their venue. However, something tells me that these great men would have used something else if golf was not available.
Congratulations to Sir Nick Faldo for being awarded the 2014 Payne Stewart Award!
The World of Golf is funny! Each week we patiently wait for the PGA Tour or LPGA tournaments so we can cheer, discuss, lament, and ponder about who will rise to the top. Last weekend, the US Women’s Open champion, Michelle Wie, walked away finally playing to her potential! Kevin Streelman shot seven birdies in a row to close out as champion of the Traveller’s Championship. I would suggest that Wie was not a surprise, however Streelman came out of left field considering his late charge. As much as these amazing feats were the talk of the town on Sunday, shortly after the media dropped these young up-starts and focused on the return of Tiger Woods.
The media clamored over each other to cover what they thought was the biggest news story of the week! The discussion about his return to prepare for The Open in 21 days is touted as the primary reason, but somehow the hair on the back of my neck suggests that this may not be the whole truth! There is little doubt that ticket sales and TV viewing is down significantly since Woods’ injury and it is very likely that the Quicken Loans National was also feeling the economic pinch.
The Tiger Woods Foundation is the primary charity of the Quicken Loans National tournament. Without the main draw in golf playing, it is likely the charity was suffering. There is little question that Tiger Woods is still the biggest name in golf and his return is welcomed by most pundits and golfing enthusiasts!
Many of the pundits are quickly throwing their hat into Woods’ ring as a potential winner of this weeks professional tournament, but those expectations are just too high. It is important that he play is way back to being at the top of the golfing heap, but he needs to do it slowly. Preparing for The Open is vital to his personal goals and starting with the Quicken Loans National tournament seems logical and well thought out.
For all the conspiracy enthusiasts out there, it really does not matter why Tiger Woods is back. If the only reason he came back at this time is to raise funds for his foundation, then I give him my full support! At least he is using his powers for good!
Tiger Woods is back. If he stays healthy, and I hope he does, then it is good for golf. He has three weeks of a tough road ahead and as he hones his skills the chance to raise the Claret Jug get better and better.
The Grateful Golfer 