In this respect professional golfers are no different than the rest of us. They’re looking at their shortcomings and building plans for improvement to put themselves in the best positions to be successful. And if recent history has shown us anything, it's that we live in an era where any player can get better any given year. Here are five superstars who can make some noise and return to glory if they commit to these New Year Resolutions.
Jordan Spieth
Resolution: Sink More Putts
If Jordan Spieth is going to return to the winner’s circle in 2019, he’s going to have to make more putts – plain and simple. For the most part, 2018 was a dreadful year for Spieth, the first in his career without a victory. And the main culprit was the flatstick. At one point last season Jordan ranked 202nd on Tour from 3 feet, 191st from 4 feet, and 200th in Total Putting. Everyone expected Spieth would snap out of it, but he never did.
The good news for Spieth is he doesn’t need to be a world beater on the greens like he was in 2015 and 2016. Spieth has been so bad with the putter there’s almost nowhere to go but up from here (unless he just stays down for the count), and even the smallest improvements will have significant impacts. The greens are where your bread is made on Tour, and if Spieth can avoid those futile flatstick stretches this year, the top-10s and wins will start piling up again, and he’ll be back on top in no time.
Rory McIlroy
Resolution: Hit Better Wedges
Rory McIlroy has struggled mightily to recapture the magic of his 2014 season (one of the all-time great seasons in history), and the narrative that sums it up best has been McIlroy’s extremely poor wedge play. Making matters worse, Rory’s wedge play seems to fall apart even more in the final rounds when he’s in contention or chasing down the leaders. Some of McIlroy’s struggles can be attributed to equipment changes and injuries, but even the most die-hard Rory fans will admit his short game issues should have been ironed out by now.
On approaches from 125 to 150 yards, Rory was ranked 173rd on Tour last season, and on approaches from 75 to 100 yards Rory was ranked even worse, 218th on Tour. McIlroy’s wedge play at times has looked no better than what you see from a hacker at the local muni. Rory even shanked a wedge last year off the scoreboard on the range at the PGA Championship. Yes McIlroy bombs it as well as anyone on Tour off the tee, but if he’s going to take advantage of that power and rejoin the ranks of elite intimidators, he absolutely has to be more efficient in the wedge game.
Rickie Fowler
Resolution: Win a Major
This is a New Year resolution that Rickie Fowler is going to recycle every year until he finally achieves it. Win a major championship. No major title for Fowler is the one glaring hole in an otherwise spectacular resume, and with each passing year it becomes increasingly more difficult to ignore this elephant in the room. Young guns like Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele are thriving and multiplying. Both have already having captured as many wins on Tour as Fowler, and some pundits consider them (and others like them) more likely to win a major before Rickie.
It’s hard to believe, but Fowler is already 30 years-old. Which is not to necessarily imply it’s now or never for Rickie, but this should be the year he takes all his focus and energy and applies it towards ending his major drought once and for all. With all of Fowler’s talent and eight career top-5s in majors, he’s clearly a threat to win one of golf’s most prized events any time he tees it up. Rickie already has the fame. Now it’s time for him to grab a major and the fortune that comes with it.
Tiger Woods
Resolution: Stay Healthy
Tiger did the unimaginable last year when he won the TOUR Championship and completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of golf. The next step after picking up career victory number 80 is winning major number 15, and if Woods is going to do that he’s going to have to pace himself and stay healthy. There’s little doubt Tiger will be back in the mix, contending, and even winning again this year. But he can’t get too intense and put his 43 year-old body in harm’s way if he wants to win his first major since 2008.
Balancing an ambitious schedule that keeps him in form with an easier one that doesn’t put too much on his table will be crucial. Woods seems more devoted to his health than he’s ever been in his career (which in itself is pretty remarkable), and he’s certainly shown he has plenty of power left in the tank to do serious damage in major championship play. And if Tiger can resolve to be patient, 2019 could be the year he finally ends his major championship drought and draws ever closer once more to Jack’s all-time best 18 major titles.
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