The Biggest Surprises Of 2015

We can now count the number the days before the first majors of the season on both of the major US Tours - 20 days until the ANA Inspiration and 27 days until The Masters. Every golfer is looking for momentum entering the tournament, and while some players have been performing better than expected, others have been very disappointing in the early part of 2015. In lieu of a Grab-Bag (because news has been slow lately), I will highlight four players, two on either Tour. One of these players is looking surprisingly ready to win the first major of the year, and the other needs to start playing better if they want to walk away a major champion in less than a month. 

PGA Tour:

1) Daniel Berger - I'm sure Berger wasn't on anyone's short list for Rookie Of The Year, especially considering all the talent in this year's rookie class. Berger, however, has had a strong start to the PGA Tour season, with three top 10's, including a playoff loss to Padraig Harrington at The Honda Classic. When Berger received his PGA Tour card at the beginning of the season, Berger was ranked 286th in the world. Berger is now ranked 73rd in the world, and needs to be in the top 50 by the end of the Shell Houston Open in order to receive an invite to The Masters. Berger may not receive an invitation to The Masters, but if he does, he would be coming in with a lot of strong vibes. Given how he has played in some of the strongest fields of the year, I doubt Berger would be intimidated by Augusta National.

2) Justin Rose - Rose has won at least one each of the last five years, including two wins in a row last year. There was a point last season when Rose was one of the top players in the world and looks poised to win another major title. After an absolutely fantastic Ryder Cup performance and a near miss in Dubai to end the European Tour season, Rose has had struggled out of the gates in 2015. He missed his first two cuts on the PGA Tour and finished near the bottom of the field at the WGC-Trump Invitational. Rose has fallen from 5th to 9th in the world, and he will likely fall further after a missed cut at the Valspar Championship. Rose never had the greatest record at Augusta National, notching only two top 10's in his career, but if he keeps playing the way he is, he may not even be playing the weekend, a surprising result for someone of Rose's stature. 

LPGA Tour:

1) Amy Yang - Yang has always been a borderline player. She would find a way to contend in a few tournaments, but no one really considered her to be one of the top players on Tour. That's why it's a surprise to see Yang currently sitting at 2nd on the Race For the CME Globe Standings. Yang has three top 10's in five starts this season, including a win in Thailand and a runner up in Australia. Yang's game seems perfect for the Dinah Shore Course, and if she maintains her momentum coming back to the States, she will be among the favorites to take a leap into the pond.

2) Paula Creamer - After she won in Singapore last season, it looked like Creamer was back to being one of the top players on the LPGA Tour. She really hasn't been a factor since, and her best finish in four starts this season is T46. It's been a long time since Creamer has been the number two ranked player in the world, as her Rolex Ranking has fallen all the way to 26th without any sign of rebounding. She is still a featured player with plenty of star power, but she will not be among the favorites at the ANA Inspiration and she will have to work if she wants to make her sixth consecutive Solheim Cup team.