by Happy New Year, ladies and gentlemen. Whether you’re in a warm climate enjoying year-round golf or stuck inside in the American Midwest, we hope you’re excited for the 2024 professional golf season to kick off this week at Kapalua.
Being our first newsletter of the year, we figured it best to get some of our predictions on the record. We put our minds together for some serious and some not-so serious forecasts for the 2024 golf season. Enjoy.
Michael Block will make the weekend at the PGA Championship … for the many sponsor obligations and appearances to fulfill.
A successor, interim or otherwise, for Jay Monahan will be announced before the Masters.
Jon Rahm will win at least three times on the LIV schedule.
Patrick Cantlay will win a major championship and the trophy ceremony will take place in the dark.
The International Team will not win the Presidents Cup and Justin Thomas will have several boisterous moments that stir the ire of the Canadian crowd.
The Framework Agreement will be consummated and announced during Players Championship week, with a signing ceremony on the drawbridge and Gold Boy digitally scaling down off the Global Home to be reintroduced to the world per Appendix E of the Agreement.
Augusta National will come out in support of the rollback and will signal that they will use the reduced flight ball at their tournament and the shouty letters from the PGA Tour signifying nothing will start to go away as they fall in line.
Lydia Ko will change caddie and coach.
Blockie will battle and easily defeat Bob May for camera time at the PGA but meet his match in Justin and Mike Thomas.
After last year’s five hour twosomes final rounds, the Masters will penalize someone of consequence for slow play.
Rory McIlroy will actually “go out in 29” at some point at the Masters.
Lexi Thompson will bomb away at the Old Course for another top five (non-win variety) at a major championship.
The Pebble Pro-Am field will be great again but there will be grumbling about format and weather as the stars return.
Tiger will play all four majors and make the cut in all of them except the PGA.
Ryder Cup Europe will wish Ian Poulter a Happy Birthday on Twitter.
Scottie Scheffler’s putting will improve and get closer to “break even” in SG:Putting and he’ll win twice again before we get to the month of May.
Emboldened and antagonized by tour pros during rollback, Pinehurst will get crispy, the scores will go up, and the players will wail as the USGA dials it up for a “home” or “anchor site” game.
Neither Henrik Stenson nor Phil Mickelson will make the cut at Royal Troon.
The Valhalla PGA will yield an elite leaderboard and #golftwitter will once again be embroiled in a debate over whether venues matter.
James Hahn will re-activate his Twitter account.
Nelly Korda will get back to No. 1 in the world.
Wells Fargo will be the “most skipped” Signature event but it will not be skipped by Rory’s bank account.
Alejandro Tosti will provide the PGA Tour much needed off/on course controversies during non-Signature event weeks to help fill a void left by Pat and Justine Reed.
Annika Sorenstam will retire from professional golf AGAIN at St. Andrews.
This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
