Though it might not seem like it, the 2014 PGA Tour is in full swing. Okay, maybe not in full swing but it’s in swing.
Sure there haven’t been any real high profile tournaments with big name players yet but the season is almost 10 tournaments into the year and those big tournaments aren’t far off in the future. But before we get to them, let’s take a look at what to watch for from the top players this season.
Rory McIlroy – To say Rory had a disappointing season last year would be an understatement. Zero wins, a handful of missed cuts and a whole lot of frustration. This year, however, he’s notched his first victory at The Australian Masters and he looks poised to build on all the success he had early in his career. Look for Rory to contend in a handful of tournaments this year, including majors because after last season he’s got nowhere to go but up.
Jordan Speith – Last season, Jordan Speith became the youngest PGA Tour winner since 1931 and at just 20 years young, his future is bright. Last year he started the season without a tour card and at the end of the year, he was a top-20 player in the world. He was also selected to play in the Presidents Cup. This year, the bar is set high and an entire season without a win would be a disappointment for this young star. If anyone is poised to have a breakout season, it’s Jordan.
Tiger Woods – In June, it will be six years and counting since Tiger Woods won his last major. His five victories last year would be considered a career season for any other golfer but Woods will need to do more than that to get the critics off his back. Though he came up short in a playoff to Zach Johnson, he had a strong performance at his own tournament (The Chevron Challenge) last week, and with a handful of venues he’s already won at on the agenda this year, a 15th major isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Phil Mickelson – Though we all may not like to believe it, Phil’s time to win more tournaments is running out. He’s proved he still can compete at the highest level with his British Open victory last year but at 43 years old, he’s past the peak of his career. He’s already publicly stated that he’s going to trim down his schedule a little bit this year and try to focus on winning the only tournament that’s really alluded him throughout his career, The U.S. Open. He’s finished runner-up a record 7 times at the event and if he can finally come out on top this year, it would put the icing on the cake of his Hall of Fame career.
Adam Scott – He finally won his first major last year and proved on a number of other of occasions that he may be the best player in the world. Look for Adam to build on his success from last year and get a couple more tournament victories under his belt…maybe even another major.