PGA Tour 2010 Preview

With the 2010 PGA Tour season kicking off tomorrow, I figured now was as good a time as any to scribble some thoughts on what’s ahead. 2010 will surely prove to be an interesting year for the Tour, obviously headlined by the Tiger Woods saga. Nobody, probably Tiger included, has any idea when he will tee it up again. If I were a betting man, I would bet on the Bay Hill Invitational on 25-28 March as a Masters tune-up, but really it’s anyone’s guess.

Contrary to popular belief that the Tour will fold as a result of Tiger’s infidelity, I think there are several great stories that will surface in 2010, most importantly the influx of young talent hitting the circuit this spring. The two most obvious names are Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, two players which are likely to contend not only for winning a tournament or two on the tour this season, but I figure they are likely to be in the mix at a major.

The 20-year old McIlroy will make his season debut in late January at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in the UAE, and stays in the Emirates for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic (where he is the defending champion) the following week. His first action in the U.S. will be at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship taking place Feb. 18-21 in Arizona. According to his 2010 schedule posted online, he will play in the U.S. another 12 times, as well as several tournaments scheduled in Europe and Asia. I would strongly believe he wins at least one PGA Tour event this year, and I very much expect him to contend at one of the majors.

The elder Fowler, who enters 2010 at the ripe age of 21 (the same age Tiger was when he won his first Masters in 2001), does not have quite the record as McIlroy, yet enters this season with just as much hype. Fowler had a reasonably successful amateur career, including an impressive undefeated showing at the 2009 Walker Cup, yet was even more impressive in his brief PGA Tour experience last season. His first tournament as a pro was the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Classic, and Fowler showed no signs of nerves while notching a 7th place finish. In his next appearance he nearly won the Frys.com Open, grabbing second while losing in a three-way playoff. Fowler nearly earned his 2010 card just from those two tournaments alone (narrowly missing out on finishing in the top 125), yet easily secured it with a T-15 finish at PGA Tour Qualifying School. Fowler’s website does not feature his schedule for 2010, but rather in one of his latest Tweets, he plotted out the first two months: “as of right now it looks like I'll go Sony, Hope, SD, ?, off AT&T, Mexico, WM, and then off to Honda.” That would lead one to believe the first time we will see Fowler in action would be at the Sony Open in Hawaii Jan. 14-17.

Two other youngsters to watch worldwide in 2010 (and maybe more so in 2011) are Danny Lee and Ryo Ishikawa. Lee is a 19-year old native of South Korea (though he lives in New Zealand), who entered 2009 with incredible hype after winning the U.S. Amateur in 2008. Although 2009 was certainly a disappointment for Lee, he still is highly regarding as a young professional. He appeared in numerous PGA Tour events last season, primarily on sponsor’s exemptions, but failed to earn enough cash to keep his card. He did not fare much better at Q-School, and thus will have to play his way onto the PGA Tour. Initial plans are to tee it up regularly on the European circuit, but don’t be surprised to see him stateside later this year.

Ishikawa was a relative unknown in the U.S. heading into the Presidents Cup last fall at Harding Park, however, by the time the Americans were hoisting the trophy, the 18-year old was quickly becoming a world-wide phenomenon. Ishikawa went 3-2 for the week in San Francisco, yet captivated the world with his incredible putting. After rolling in bomb after bomb early on Sunday, he held on to finish off Kenny Perry 2&1 for one of just four International points that day.  Just two years after becoming the youngest winner on the Japanese Tour in 2007, he flat out dominated the circuit in 2009, winning the money title, the MVP, and notching the lowest scoring average. According to a story from Sky Sports, the young star plans to continue playing the Japanese Tour primarily, yet cited his primary goal as making the cut at the Masters.

I am also looking forward to see how several who finished in or near the top-ten in 2009 fare in 2010 -- notably Sean O’Hair and Lucas Glover. O’Hair looked impressive at the Presidents Cup after receiving the magic putting tip, and Watney at times looked like he could win anywhere. Watney bounced back in 2009 after a disappointing 2008, and my bet would be on an even better 2010. 

Although it may be Tiger-less at its start, I think the 2010 season has quite a few promising reasons to watch. You can’t write a preview with out making predictions...so here’s mine (though certainly not earth shattering).

Player of the Year -- Tiger Woods
Rookie of the Year -- Rickie Fowler
Disappointment of the Year -- Tiger’s absence from probably 2.5 months of the season

Bring on 2010.