I'm a bit of a sage when it comes to predicting tournaments and LPGA seasons (and by that, I mean I like to think I know what I'm talking about). There are a lot of things that people are predicting about next year, and while some things seem a certainty, what we do know about golf is how incredibly UNCERTAIN it actually is. Here, then, are my Top 5 incredibly bold predictions that will likely not happen.
Before I get to my list, here are a couple of bold predictions I did not add to my top five:
- Se Ri Pak will win the HanaBank Championship
- Lydia Ko won't win on the LPGA Tour, but will still be Rookie Of The Year
- The five majors will have five different champions
- Eun-Hee Ji will win before Yani Tseng
With those out of the way, let's get to the true list!
5) Lexi Thompson will win a major.
Probably not the boldest prediction in the world, given Lexi's performance at the end of the 2013 season. When Lexi turned pro in 2011 and immediately won an LPGA event, it looked like the flood gates were about to open for the then 16 year old. 2012, however, would be relatively uneventful for the teenager. As the US golf media began to overlook Lexi, she rattled off two victories at the end of the 2013 season, including one in a duel with Stacy Lewis. While Stacy Lewis may be the top American at the moment, everyone seems to be pointing at Lexi as the next face of women's golf in America, and 2014 could be the year she establishes herself as the new queen.
4) Beatriz Recari will win the most tournaments by a European player.
Recari had a breakout year in 2013, winning twice and helping the Europeans shock the Americans in the Solheim Cup. In my opinions, the best has yet to show itself for Recari, who is poised for a year like we've seen from Suzann Pettersen last season. Sure, Suzann isn't going to collapse and fall down the rankings, but I have a tough time seeing her repeating the same performances in 2014. I see Recari winning four times, including the Evian Masters, and emerging as the new European power.
3) The Player Of The Year will NOT come from The Big Three.
The 2013 LPGA season was dominated by three players - Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, and Suzann Pettersen. That dominance ends in 2014, as I foresee all three of these players having a relatively disappointing season, especially by their standards. What the likes of Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato taught us last year is that it is incredibly difficult to transfer success across multiple seasons, especially when the entire field is chasing you down in order to make a statement. Even at the end of the season, you could tell that Inbee and Stacy were getting rather worn out, as Stacy couldn't close out several tournaments where she was in contention, and Inbee fell off after an absolutely spectacular start to 2013. The one that will likely make me look a fool is Suzann Pettersen, who looked stronger than ever at the end of 2013 and looks poised to take the number one spot on the Rolex Rankings.
Speaking of falling off...
2) So Yeon Ryu will be the top ranked Korean.
For one half of 2013, it looked like the LPGA was headed into a era of dominance by Inbee Park much like we've seen Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa dominate the tour. For the second half of the year, we saw Inbee struggle, and not find herself in contention for most of the tournament she played down the stretch. It's hard to maintain strong performances, but it's even harder when you have media requests and sponsorship requirements sending you all over the world, especially when you're an introvert like Inbee appears to be. Inbee Park will still be a solid competitor, and will likely win a couple times this year, but So Yeon Ryu has way too much talent not to start cashing in on the opportunities she has. Ryu seems to be lacking the confidence to close out a tournament - the moment she's able to get that next win, the flood gates are likely to open. Ryu is my early pick for Player Of The Year.
And finally, the boldest prediction I could possibly screw up...
1) Michelle Wie will win in 2014.
It's easy to stick a fork in Michelle Wie's career on the LPGA and write her off as an advent failure if you did not pay attention to the LPGA post-Solheim Cup last year. There was something about Meg Mallon picking Wie with one of her captain's picks that brought the game of golf back into Michelle's mindset. For a few years, it seemed as if Michelle was content on resting on her endorsements and her promise, and that eventually things would work out and she would start winning tournaments just based on her talent. After she fell - hard - from the top of the rankings, her confidence seemed to be completely shot. After being in the Solheim Cup, Michelle seems to be working hard on her game again, which is all that is needed with the amount of talent she has. Michelle Wie will silence her critics - at least for a few weeks - and win an event on the LPGA Tour in 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment