2011 should be considered the Year of the New Wave
Editorial Department • Published 17 Nov 2011 13:00
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Changing of the old guard
Some people are calling the 2011 PGA Tour season the Year of Parity. I like to think of it as the Year of the New Wave. We saw a lot of really good young players who didn't get much exposure when Tiger was on the scene, and the fans have really embraced them. Keegan Bradley won a major and was one of several surprising players to win twice on Tour, a list that includes Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, Webb Simpson and Mark Wilson. Before the season started, how many of those guys would you have predicted would win twice? Maybe Watney, and that's it.
Of course, as these new faces emerge on Tour, we might be saying good-bye to some older players. Phil Mickelson has a putting problem, and he, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els are all struggling to find consistent form.
The X factor, of course, is Tiger. The 2011 season was a lost year for him. However he did show glimpses of magic this week at The Australian Open and hopefully that can ignite him for the future including the upcoming President's Cup match.
He hasn't won in the United States since the 2009 BMW Championship, and returning to the top is only going to be harder in 2012. The reason is the new wave of players who seized the stage this year. Instead, Woods has an even tougher task: fending off a mob of talent - all of whom developed as players while he was on the sidelines, and none of whom fear him. In fact, they all share his mindset.
With regards to American home grown talent it was quite strange that Rickie Fowler failed to win a PGA Tour event. Fowler made steady progress in 2010, and those four straight birdies he made in singles at last year's Ryder Cup showed real toughness. He continued to improve this year, but he hadn't played a competitive (and meaningful) final round until winning the Korea Open in October.
Let's hope that was a sign that he's finally figured out how to seal the deal. Fowler is a great player and he's got a chance to be one of the Tour's brightest stars.
Of course, Europe made a solid statement this year on the PGA Tour with Luke Donald leading them all a merry dance on the order of merit, a feat that he is sure to repeat in Europe, and a unique performance that may never be repeated again.
Add to this the wonderful victory of Rory McIlroy in the US Open and somehow it's not difficult to see these players putting it up to the Yankees again in 2012, especially with Rory scheduled to play more events on the PGA Tour next year.
Next weekend see the President's Cup taking place in Melbourne between the USA and The International team. On paper the Americans look very strong but my prediction favours the International team to win by a few points.
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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 17 Nov 11
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