With the end of 2024 a new year is beckoning. Hope springs eternal in golf. How one fared previously does not assure continued success is a foregone conclusion.
Ask any golfer after hitting a brilliant shot if the one that follows will be equally brilliant.
Success in golf, at all levels, is akin to closing one door and then opening another.
Professional golf in 2024 saw surges of certain players and decline in others.
The global golf industry also saw gains with numerous classic courses engaging architects to return to their original roots.
Recreationally, golf is advancing on a number of fronts. Will those positive winds remain constant?
A new year undoubtedly means an assessment of the recent past. Questions needing answers may not always provide the most positive of outcomes.
Read on.
Can Scottie Scheffler and Nellie Korda have a successful encore in 2025 after dominating in 2024?
Globally the number one ranked golfer in their respective categories with clear expectations for the success bar to rise even higher in the new year ahead.
Each has shown the capacity to win but the ultimate challenge remains wins in the major events. Will the pressure to succeed motivate them higher or become a heavy anchor weighing them down?
Both Scheffler and Korda HAVE won seven times on their respective Tours. Yet, it is the majors that define permanent legacy. That will be the clear test for each in 2025.
How will Royal Portrush fare when hosting its second Open Championship?
After an outstanding success when hosting the 2019 Open, the game’s oldest major returns in July. The turnout of fans provided a sellout and Irishman Shane Lowry provided the ultimate glorious ending in hoisting the Claret Jug.
Will Rory McIlroy find a better result this time after missing the cut at that event?
While Portrush has long been cited among the best layouts on the Emerald Isle, the updating of the Dunluce Course by architect Martin Hawtree has been uniformly praised for the new holes added to the layout.
Can Bernhard Langer continue to win on the Champions Tour?
The ageless German ended 2024 with a season ending win at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. The victory was Langer’s 47th on the Champions Tour.
The 67-year-old is now just three away from the magic total of 50. Langer will play in his final Masters in 2025. The two-time winner of the green jacket is the last competing giant of Europe’s Fabulous Five who provided the spring board for success in the Ryder Cup and other key wins.
His tenacity in overcoming the yips at various times during his career underlines his steadfast passion for the game. Can the greatest senior player continue like the Energizer bunny?
Will Jay Monahan remain Commissioner of the PGA Tour?
It seems unlikely he will be replaced but the world of professional golf is in a far different place than when the 53-year-old took the helm from his predecessor Tim Finchem.
Trust from the rank-and-file was shattered when Finchem did a complete turnaround from his original position on LIV Golf. When someone is being paid $23 million a year the need for trust and confidence are critical ingredients in demonstrating relevance and continued support.
How the resolution of the talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf could well determine if Monahan goes missing in action for the long-term.
Can Ludvig Åberg ascend even higher in 2025?
The Swede started the 2024 season as the 29th best player in the world. He’s now 5th. The 25-year-old contended at the Masters with a runner-up finish. Åberg was also very much a part of the storyline in his debut US Open where he led after 36 holes and ultimately finished T12. But his performances in the others majors were disappointing with two missed cuts.
Åberg’s quick rise reinforces the continuous surge in talented young players looking to make their respective marks in the pro game.
While he took many by surprise given his fast start in pro golf – the bigger question is can he continue his upward climb with even more impactful results?
Can Collin Morikawa return to victory lane?
The back-ended compliment tagline now falls on the shoulders of the talented 27-year-old. His 2024 season was one of remarkable consistency — in 22 events he had 8 finishes in the top 10 and 16 in the top 25.
Unfortunately, Scottie Scheffler stood between him and the finish line of victory in a number of instances.
Morikawa has had just one win since claiming a second major title in 2021 at the Open Championship. In the four majors in 2024 his worst finish was 16th. He also had two top-five placements.
He’s won 6 PGA Tour titles and given his skills in getting into contention Morikawa needs to seal the deal with wins. Contending is one thing – winning quite another.
Who is the next Commissioner of the LPGA Tour?
The departure of Mollie Marcoux Samaan was not unexpected. The debacle of how fans were left standing waiting for buses to get into the Solheim Cup was likely the final straw.
Other women’s sports have gained much traction but the LPGA is still floundering. Purses grew during her tenure but the bulk of those increases came in only a few select major events. Scheduling concerns abound and attendance at many of the events was hardly noteworthy.
The 75th year of the LPGA’s existence is in 2025 — can someone be found to truly take the sport to a far higher level? The range of issues includes securing more exposure. There’s little doubt the new Commissioner will have plenty on their plate to accomplish.
Is Tiger Woods done with elite level play?
Since his 5th Masters win in 2019 Tiger Woods’ to be charitable has been abysmal. of the four majors played in 2024 he missed the cut in three and at Augusta placed 60th. Since receiving his last green jacket, he has not finished higher than 21st in any of the major events.
Tiger turns 49-year-old on December 30 and he remains convinced he can successfully compete even when the numbers produced clearly say otherwise.
The 15-time major winner still commands attention and draws people to watch. Woods still desires the chase of competitive golf but more than likely those desires will need to be continued when he joins the Champions Tour in just over a year’s time.
