Wide-Open Fairways and Headlines: 2011 PGA Tour Preview

The PGA Tour kicks off its 2011 season with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii, an event that features the champions of tournaments during the 2010 season.

At the opening event, there will be usual names like Ernie Els, who won two events in 2010 including the WGC CA Championship in Doral; and reigning U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell.

There are also some different names on the Plantation Course like 2010 Wyndham Championship winner Arjun Atwal and Frys.com Open champion Rocco Mediate, both players whose unlikely wins last season allowed them to hold a Tour card for 2011 and, wouldn’t you know it, they are paired together Thursday.

The tournament of champions is a first-weekend appetizer for when the PGA Tour kicks into full swing at the Sony Open the following week in Honolulu.

While we all know what dominated headlines leading into the 2010 season, the 2011 season tees off with a different outlook. For starters, we begin 2011 with a new No. 1 atop the Official Golf World Rankings.

Lee Westwood overtook Tiger Woods late last year and with his convincing win at the Dubai World Championship in November, Westwood is beginning to show signs of hitting top form.

The PGA Tour season officially ended with the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2010 with a resurgent Jim Furyk grabbing most of the headlines en route to his $10 million Federal Express bounty.

A few other names from the past grabbed late-season headlines, namely Matt Kuchar whose strong finish completed a brilliant 2010 season atop the PGA money list.

Let’s take a look at some of the names and events to keep an eye on this season.

Top Five

Lee Westwood

The aforementioned Englishman begins 2011 coming off the heels of a late season victory in Dubai, and sitting atop the OWGR.

Westwood will need to be strong out of the gate in order to retain the No. 1 spot, especially if one of the four below names mounts an early-season charge.

The big question for Westwood lies if he can get his name on a Major Championship trophy, thereby voiding the criticism of a No. 1 golfer who has yet to win a major.

Tiger Woods

The previous No. 1 enters the 2011 season flying a bit under the radar than a year ago.

Well, maybe that is an understatement but Tiger Woods will be able to focus on winning an early tournament as opposed to dealing with all the off-course attention he received last January and February.

Woods is usually absent from early-season events, but Doral or Bay Hill present timely opportunities to get back in the win column.

Martin Kaymer

The 2010 Wannamaker Trophy holder followed up his major win with victories at the KLM Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour.

Kaymer plays all of his golf on the European Tour with the exception of the majors and the WGCs, and we’ll see if he can grab another big victory on U.S. soil in 2011 as he has had no trouble winning across the pond as of late.

Phil Mickelson

Lefty’s victory at the Masters looked to be a promising start to 2010.

However, what followed was a fairly lackluster season for his standards, with only four top 10s afterwards.

Mickelson will need to bounce back, since his name seems to be slipping from this list.

Graeme McDowell

Arguably the best player of 2010. The U.S. Open Champion and Ryder Cup stalwart capped off a remarkable season with a late October victory in Spain at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters and the Chevron World Challenge on the Fall Series.

If McDowell is to keep his present form he looks to be a force in 2011 in both Europe and in the U.S.. He also has the ability to move up this list if he is able to bag another major or two coming up this season.

Due to Win a Major

Ross Fisher

The Englishman finished fifth at the U.S. Open in 2005, his best finish ever in a major. Fisher did win on the European Tour at the 3 Ireland Open, his only win of 2010.

He also had a disappointing previous season in major championships. However, his highlight was at the Ryder Cup, where Fisher went 3–1 for the victorious Europeans.

If that is what announces Fisher’s arrival on the major golf scene, then we should be hearing from him in 2011.

Dustin Johnson:

The South Carolina native endured final round disasters in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2010.

However, a strong finish on the way to victory at The Barclays assured everyone that Johnson has what it takes to win.

Johnson has yet to see his best days on tour and appears to just be going through a Mickelson-like stage in closing out final rounds in majors.

Charl Schwartzel

Schwartzel won back-to-back tournaments last season, mid-January in his native South Africa.

His worst major finish was T30 at Augusta last season, but his best was not in the top-10 in either of the other three; leaving a lot on the table for Schwartzel to be looked at, and to improve on.

Others to Watch

Rickie Fowler

The obvious choice in this category, Fowler put together a formidable first season on the PGA Tour en route to the Rookie of the Year award.

Currently ranked 28th in the world, the 21-year-old should appear in all four majors this season and the WGC events as well.

We’ll see if Fowler can finally break through after a few close calls last season and continue his early success on Tour. 

Kevin Streelman

Streelman’s presence has been witnessed at the top of leader boards before, but he has yet to see victory on the PGA Tour. Is this the year he finally breaks out?

Much like Fowler, a single victory could open up the floodgates for a golfer with a lot of Tour potential.

Matteo Manassero

The standout amateur in last year’s Masters completed a remarkable and record-breaking individual performance before turning professional shortly afterwards.

He then would become a winner on the European Tour in Spain at the Castelo Masters Costa Azahar in October.

Look for the 17-year-old Italian to continue his success on the European Tour, but when he crosses the pond to make some noise, as well.

The Majors

The Masters

If McDowell is able to keep his present streak rolling, he would have to be a disputed favorite at Augusta.

Lee Westwood will also look to avenge a runner-up finish last year to a surging Phil Mickelson, and speaking of Lefty, can he rebound in Georgia from a lackluster 2010?

U.S. Open

The U.S. Open returns to Congressional Country Club where it was last played in 1997 when Ernie Els captured his second of three major titles. Can the Big Easy rediscover his major magic nine years since his last triumph?

Will Tiger finally break through for a Beltway victory? Or will we see a first time Major winner like we saw the last two editions?

The Open Championship

The Open returns to Royal St. Georges for the first time since 2003 when Ben Curtis was an unlikely champion in the event - unlikely in that he qualified just one week beforehand on a PGA Tour event.

The Open also produced an unlikely winner in Louis Oosthuizen last year. Will Royal St. Georges be another course for an underdog? Or will any number of European or American regulars come through in England?

PGA Championship

Atlanta Athletic Club hosts the PGA Championship 10 years later, and a year removed from Martin Kaymer capturing a somewhat controversial title last season.

Who will hoist the obtrusive Wannamaker Trophy as this season’s final major winner?

Five Other Events to Watch

WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship

The bracket-style tournament, much like its NCAA counterpart, always leads to some compelling early round matches and upsets, and the golf only improves as the weekend goes on.

Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill

One of Tiger Woods' missed tournaments last year due to “off-course” issues, and strangely enough a tournament where he usually dominates the headlines the whole way through, especially on the 72nd green.

Will Woods return to Arnie’s Invitational? Or will he stay away much like last season?

AT&T National

With the USGA US Open-izing Congressional, Tiger’s AT&T National returns to Aronimink Country Club for a second straight year. The July 4 celebration always provides feel-good stories and good golf throughout the entire holiday weekend.

WGC Bridgestone Invitational

The annual Ohio event at Firestone C.C. always provides a fitting prelude to the PGA Championship. Who will go into the final Major of the year a winner at the limited-field event?

Tour Championship

Who will be ahead in the final leg of the FedEx Cup? There are many questions to be answered this season.

The 2011 golf season is starting off wide-open with very compelling headlines. Will we see a few first-time major winners? Or will we see Woods or Mickelson regain their old presence amongst the game’s elite?

Starting Thursday, the answers will start to come as we march towards Augusta, DC, Sandwich, England; and Atlanta.