When Will Jordan Spieth Play Golf Again

So many questions, so much to wonder most….and not an like shooting fish in a barrel respond to be constitute as the PGA Bout prepares for a 38-result schedule in 2022.

Almost a quarter of the current flavour has been played, of course, merely that was before the Omicron variant imposed a staunch prevent defence to derail the best-laid plans of other active sports leagues. More than 150 NFL players tested positive only two weeks ago, a number that has since climbed past 200.

This is a golf publication, not a medical journal, simply as we brainstorm what is coincidentally  ordained as the Year of the Tiger past the Chinese calendar, the ii ostensibly accept become i and the same. Tour commish Jay Monahan has deftly piloted his arrangement through the first 22 months of the pandemic era — Jon Rahm'due south forced withdrawal at the Memorial last bound remains the just incident worthy of a banner headline — but as we've come to larn, things can change very quickly.

To be clear, the Twelvemonth of the Tiger doesn't officially start until Feb. 1. Pebble Embankment week. Given how the coronavirus originated in People's republic of china, allow's hold off on whatsoever additional irony and promise the game steers clear of another COVID-related stoppage or heavy player absences. After all, a week without a golf tournament is only a lousy reason to pick up a snow shovel.

We're off and running. Here'due south a expect at 2022 in a 12-ounce can.

1. Those 38 tournaments — is there anything new or different on the horizon?

Robert Cox of Rendezvous grills sausage during the FedEx-St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind in August.

Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal via Imagn

A scrap of each, actually. The biggest news is the inclusion of the Scottish Open to the PGA Tour schedule, a motility that has been in the works for more than than a year. Fields volition consist of members from both primary circuits. With its usual dates (the week prior to the British Open up) and a $6 million purse — righteous bucks by Euro Tour standards —this has all the makings of a premium gathering. A major without the upper-grade condition.

In what could be interpreted as a sign of weakness regarding the FedEx Cup playoff construction, 2 of the 3 tournaments have been relocated once once again. The postseason opener, which was held just exterior New York Metropolis since the large-bang finale took flight in 2007, has been transferred to Memphis, home of Campsite Ponte Vedra'due south favorite courier. If it looks like a kickback and smells similar a kickback, the $65 million ponied up by the Tour'southward most important business concern partner volition buy you a lot of cachet.

Equally for the second playoff tilt, which featured massive crowds and the almost compelling final round in 2021, the move from Baltimore to Wilmington, DE is a true head-scratcher. Lord knows how many BMWs are made in Wilmington, merely in the minds of those who oversee golf'south almighty empire, the title sponsor gets what the championship sponsor wants.

2. What'south the deal with the majors this year?

St. Andrews.

Photo: GolfFile | Thos Caffrey

The news here is the PGA of America's decision to dump Trump — a reaction to last Jan'due south coup at the U.Southward. Capitol during the 45th President's concluding days in office. Trump National Golf game Club Bedminster — a course as spectacular as its name is lengthy — was deposed as host of May's PGA Title in favor of Tulsa'due south Southern Hills. Translation: a highly regarded layout on the verge of staging its first major championship was replaced past a club that has held more PGAs than whatever other.

Speaking of veteran venues, The Country Club will become a grandfather for the 14th time at the U.S. Open up. Nine U.S. Amateurs (men's and women's), a fourth U.S. Open and, of grade, the 1999 Ryder Cup amass quite a portfolio for the Brookline, Mass. gem, just 32 years have passed since it concluding hosted a USGA gathering for the big boys. At that place are several thousand worse places to play a major than Boston. And that's but in New England.

Oh, and the British Open heads back to St. Andrews. how'due south that for back-to-dorsum sites? Ruth and Gehrig didn't make more history than those two.

3. What is probable to go the first significant casualty of COVID-19?

Aaron Rodgers, Jerry Kelly, Ho-sung Choi and Chris O'Donnell at the 2019 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Kyle Terada-United states Today Sports

Coil to Go on

As previously mentioned, Pebble Embankment is a mere month away, and if Monahan still knows how to manage a crisis, he'll cutting the amateur one-half of the field unless Omicron goes on vacation, which is highly improbable. It reduces the chance that comes with a large number of people gathered in shut quarters. Information technology as well shrinks gallery sizes because and so many spectators show up to watch movie stars and country singers. Monahan might make up one's mind to ban fans birthday in the offset few months of the season. Everybody'due south flying blind in these uncertain times.

4. If this is the Year of the Tiger, how often volition we see Eldrick T. Icon tee it upwardly in 2022?

Tiger's 2022 schedule could include but the majors.

Jeremy Reper-The states TODAY Sports

Given how sharp he looked in the final two rounds of last month's Bloodline Classic in Orlando, Forest obviously has a harder fourth dimension walking to his ball than hitting it. What matters hither is that Tiger is eligible for all four majors due to his triumph at the 2019 Masters. Unless he makes little or no physical progress over the side by side four months, I tin't imagine him passing up the opportunity to make more history. It'due south a longshot — Woods winning, not just showing up — just I can see him playing in those 4 tournaments and null else.

Warriors don't know how to quit. They head back to the gym and detect a reason to believe.

5. Has Jordan Spieth conquered his ballstriking demons to the indicate where he tin can go a top-5 thespian over again?

His short-putting woes damaged his chances of winning more than than one time last year, non his crooked driving or inconsistent iron play. Spieth leapt from 82nd to 14th in the Official Globe Golf Ranking in 2021. Among name players, only Sam Burns (154th to 11th) fabricated a greater climb, reason enough to think the three-time major gnaw can rediscover the form that made him a superstar then apace. Top v? Spieth will need to win at to the lowest degree twice to brand that happen, but he could have hands won 2 or 3 tourneys on the road to recovery in '21.

Amazingly, the Gilded Boy is averaging 309.3 yards off the tee this season—about thirty yards longer than in the early stages of his career. Good thing, likewise. In this power-crazed era, if you don't hit information technology a mile, victories don't happen for a while.

6. Will Rory McIlroy ever win another major?

Expert question. No player has e'er claimed four Big Ones by the historic period of 25, then endured such a puzzling, logic-defying drought, which now stands at 6 ½ years. Not only has McIlroy failed to pick upward a 5th major, he hasn't come all that shut. Despite 13 acme 10s since the 2014 PGA, his best chance came at the 2018 British, where he finished in a five-way tie for 2nd, two strokes backside Francesco Molinari. For all the negative numerical vibes, withal, in that location's bear witness to suggest McIlrebound is poised to brand 2022 a memorable year.

He beat a quality field in Las Vegas 2-i/2 months ago, following up on a sloppy-but-still-a-victorious functioning at Quail Hollow last May. He'due south currently 9th in the OWGR, which is about 5 spots lower than a man of his talent should reside. More annihilation, however, is how emotional McIlroy was during a live tv interview afterwards playing and so poorly at the Ryder Loving cup. Information technology took all he had to fight back the tears, a radical difference from the Mr. Happy Go Lucky of recent years, win or lose.

Greatness requires an inner fire. Northern Ireland's finest appears to take establish a flame.

vii. Who will stand atop the World Ranking at year's end?

Jon Rahm.

The aforementioned guy who's there now. Rahm is the complete package, a long and very accurate driver who rarely hits a lousy iron shot and makes superb use of what has go the globe's best short game. The burly Spaniard is too a pupil of his craft, far beyond a majority of his peers in terms of appreciating golf'southward rich history, and he's well on his way to making some himself.

Rahm'due south competitive thirst used to manifest itself in those demonstrative tantrums and woe-is-me mindset, merely he'southward a inverse man, and there's no ceiling to his adequacy. He'll win three times in 2022, one of them a major, and add another layer of credibility to the notion that he has a hazard to become the greatest European histrion of all-time. Ameliorate than Seve. Better than Sir Nick. A connoisseur of the past , Rahm would never admit as much, just an boggling legacy is his for the taking.

Now if he can just avert those negative COVID tests….

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Source: https://www.si.com/golf/news/7-questions-to-be-answered-in-the-2022-pga-tour-season

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