It is customary at this festive time to make a few predictions for the coming year. My main prediction is that anything I suggest will almost certainly be wrong! According to "an informed source close to Tiger" the great man suffered a humiliation and loss of confidence rather greater than most people realised after the break-up of his marriage and the associated scandal. It's been evident for a while that whilst he's recovered his mojo on the regular tour, the majors are still a mental obstacle for him. He appears a shadow of his former self on major weekends. However, I am going to stick my neck out and give him the Masters Tournament. But for an outrageous piece of bad fortune on the 15th he might well have won it last year. If, and it's a big if, (he last won the Masters in 2005) he does claim a fifth Green Jacket, then it may well open the floodgates again and bring that magic 18 majors back within range. He'll be "defending" The Open title that he won at Hoylake in 2006 in July, and I can see a battle between him and Henrik Stenson, whose world supremacy in recent times must surely deliver a debut major.
The US Open returns to the fabulous Pinehurst No 2, where Michael Campbell triumphed in 2005 and where Phil Mickelson missed out by one shot to the late Payne Stewart in 1999. Mickelson's runner-up finish to Justin Rose at Merion last year was his sixth second place in 23 US Open attempts.
Lefty's win at Pinehurst this year (getting cocky now), in a closely fought contest with Rory McIlroy, will mean he becomes only the sixth player in history to win a Career Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in the record books. Mmmm.
Finally to the US PGA Championship, which will be played at Valhalla in Kentucky, the scene of the Americans' only Ryder Cup victory in recent history, when Nick Faldo's men succumbed in 2008. Matt Kuchar was not part of that triumphant team, but he gets my vote for the title this year, in another titanic struggle with Rory McIlroy. Fifteen of the last 19 majors have been claimed by first-time winners so it will probably be Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Jonathan Spieth who scoop the big ones! Remember, you didn't hear it here first.
Happy New Year.
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