5 Bold Predictions for 2016 on the PGA Tour

With the 2016 portion of the PGA Tour season upon us, golf fans on bar stools, in living rooms and in T.V. studios are offering opinions about what we can expect this season. 

On the heels of an entertaining season that featured two major victories for Jordan Spieth, the rise of Jason Day (and his first major win), big play and a big injury for Rory McIlroy and further Tiger Woods injury amid the worst season of his professional career, will 2016 top the excitement of 2015?

Who knows? But if these bold bets pay off, you can, well...bet on it.

Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth Finish in the Top 10 in All Four Majors

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Barring no soccer injuries, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will each win at least one major in 2016. For all the talk of an emerging generation of stars and a Big Three, these two golfers are simply better than their peers. 

A refresher on how they finished in the majors in 2015:

Jordan Spieth

• Masters: Won
• U.S. Open: Won
• Open Championship: T4
• PGA Championship: 2

Rory McIlroy

• Masters: 4
• U.S. Open: T9
• PGA Championship: 17 

In light of the above, you can be sure these two will record eight top-10 finishes between them.  

An Equipment-Switcher Wins a Major

Matt York/Associated Press

As we turn the page to 2016, a number of top golfers switched equipment sponsors. Among them, Zach Johnson began gaming upstart Parsons Xtreme Golf clubs, as did Billy Horschel. Brooks Koepka joined Nike's golf staff, as did Tony Finau. Marc Leishman joined Callaway. 

Provided they adjust to (or possibly improve with) the new weaponry, one of the golfers above will raise a major trophy in 2016.

Here's each golfer's best finish in a major in 2015:

• Zach Johnson: Open Championship, Winner
• Billy Horschel: U.S. Open, PGA Championship, T25 
• Brooks Koepka: PGA Championship, T5
• Tony Finau: PGA Championship, T10
• Marc Leishman: Open Championship, 2

Assuming one of these golfers can play just a bit better with new sticks in a major, he'll have one of golf's most coveted pieces of hardware. 

Ryder Cup: Europe Keeps the Cup

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Yes, the United States has twice as many players in the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking as the Europeans do. Yes, the United States is taking a different course behind the scenes as a result of the Ryder Cup task force. Yes, the U.S. side was embarrassed at Gleneagles, and Phil Mickelson's post-competition questioning of captain Tom Watson marked a sea change. Yes, the 2016 Ryder Cup (at Hazeltine) is on U.S. soil. 

And while all of this seems to indicate that the United States team has a shot at taking back the cup, the Europeans are simply better at Ryder Cup play and never fail to rise, collectively and individually, to the occasion.

The Europeans have won eight of the last 10 competitions. Despite flag-waving proclamations from the U.S. about why that trend will not continue in Chaska, Minnesota, it will.  

The Triumphant Return of Olympic Golf Will Be Less Than Triumphant

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

Beyond the fact that we'll be presented with an average lineup of world golfers thanks to the high concentration of the best players in certain areas, the 72-hole stroke-play format for Olympic golf is all wrong. 

Shane Bacon from Fox Sports put it well regarding the structure: 

"

It’s already been questioned by plenty in the golf media, but just wait until the world turns to Rio and casual sports fans see golf on television and think, “Is this the Olympics or the Valspar Championship?”

This should be a two-man team event against all the other countries in the world, and hopefully it’ll change to that format as tweaking tends to happen, but for ’16 we will get a whole bunch of guys we watch week in and week out playing the exact same format they do for about 49 weeks out of the year.

"

It should be a yawn. But hey, national glory.  

Tiger Woods Won't Hit a Shot in Competition

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Given the tenor of his comments ahead of the Hero World Challenge, his Time interview and remarks he's made since, Tiger Woods isn't going to return to competition until he's 100 percent. And unless he's being coy, he has no idea when that'll be. 

Furthermore, it's clear Woods is tired of gutting out 75s when he's out of practice and struggling with swing changes on course. 

Not only will he not return to competition until he's totally healthy, he won't tee it up until he's comfortable with all facets of his game. Achieving the requisite level of comfort won't take days or weeks but rather months of sustained practice. 

Don't expect to see Tiger in 2016.