For crazed sports fans, in most cases, the season for their favorite team usually ends abruptly – most likely without a title to celebrate or a Big-A Trophy to lift; at best the players on their favorite team will pick up an extra playoff check or two (wouldn’t that be nice!).
But especially in golf, the diehard fans of particular players rely on magical moments (Rickie!) to be able to truly rejoice, with tears and beers or whatever the heck they drink when yelping and snorting. The way we celebrate those magical moments and back-nine heaters shows how unique our favorite game is. There are far more losses than wins, which makes all the accomplishments in-between so worthwhile.
Let’s not forget one more rabid fandom dynamic that is mostly associated with golf (we’ll lump in the Superbowl here too) – the grandiosity of a tournament can sometimes incite more emotion than just watching a favorite player win any ol’ professional event. For example, in Augusta, once a year in April, while the Azaleas bloom, the MASTERS is played. Watching that sweet, sweet event play out over four days—and for hundreds of hours on our tethered devices—often leads to tears of joy, regardless of victor. Simply Glorious.
In the spirit of the holidays, Balls & Bogeys has sent our PGA TOUR Wishlist below to the North Pole in hopes that good ole’ mostly sober St. Nick will help deliver a 2024 season to remember. Here are our wants…
The PGA TOUR/LIV Golf merger is finalized, and some good comes from this bizarre and forced union
The dust has (mostly) settled from last year’s bombshell announcement of the truce (and merger) between the PGA TOUR and LIV Golf, but so many questions remain unanswered to golf fans around the world. The latest sprinkle of news vomited last week was Rahm reportedly banking upwards of $600M to join the Saudi league brigade. Nutso money. Ohtani money. And now, he’s officially jumped ship! As young Spaulding once said in front of heroine Lacy Underall and Judge Smalls, “Turds. Double Turds!”
So that begs the question… who is next? Maybe that’s why Rory resigned from the TOUR’s Policy Board because his number likely would have been up in the hundreds of millions of greenbacks, too. Now, he’s left with what? – the hope that TGL and PIP can bankroll him onto the Senior Tour? With both the PGA TOUR and LIV seasons starting in a few weeks, what the heck will this forced marriage even look like if the wedding does officially happen in 2024? For the sake of relative closure – St. Nick, just make a partnership happen or have the decision makers draw pistols and start shooting until someone wins. We pray for PGA TOUR victory for the sake of tradition and the 16th hole at the Waste Management; but nonetheless, we are soooo tired of just hearing about the feud, and like most golf lovers on planet earth, we want the fighting to end!
Tiger Woods plays in at least 8 PGA Tour Events (including Majors)
Fans rejoiced watching Big Cat at the Hero in the Bahamas two weeks ago blasting 325+ yard drives, and standing (and walking) strong on his surgically repaired ankle. Anything can happen between now and the Open Championship in July, but we’re getting serious “feels” that Tiger can squeeze in at least eight tournaments over the better part of 2024.
Assuming he stays moderately healthy, the four Majors are locks for his participation. Then we have his favorite events like the Genesis Invitational (his other event that is played at Riv and run by his foundation), THE PLAYERS, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Memorial (Jack’s soiree). That seems like a reasonable schedule. Throw in his HERO World Challenge late next year and we are almost at double digits! And, if you’re asking for Big Cat fandom miracles this Xmas, maybe we’ll even see Tiger in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. I know that’s silly talk, but we have feverish love that runs deep for the GOAT.
Though his body will dictate whether or not he actually tees off at each event listed above, we are going to think positive thoughts for the time being and keep our cheeks puckered. Golf (and especially the PGA TOUR) needs you, Tiger! Now, more so than ever.
Rory finally wins Major No. 5
2024 marks a whole decade since Rory hoisted a Big-A Major Trophy. The golf world has been pining for him to win his 5th major since EA Sports decided to make him the cover boy for their video game (mistake?). There have been close calls, Sunday meltdowns, strong starts and weak finishes, weak starts and strong finishes. Just not four consecutive rounds that put the Northern Irishman on top once again.
Good news is that he won’t have to play politician this year (he stepped down from the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council just last month) and can concentrate on finally delivering what most golf fans want to see him accomplish. His first shot at #5, like every year, comes at the Masters in April. A victory in Augusta would complete his career Grand Slam. We know he has the game, but does he still have the mentals when it comes down to crunch time in the big pants events? We sure haven’t seen him hike up big enough britches the last few seasons even though on paper he’s crushed it. Do you think he’d take Green Jacket over $600 million from PIF? Perhaps…
THE PLAYERS produces an EPIC showdown worthy of the tourney being proclaimed the 5th Major
The PGA TOUR’s flagship event must create some waves in the golf world (and TV ratings for that matter) with its March timeslot. Ponte Vedra needs a wild Sunday finish. If Tiger plays, and is in contention, it will likely be the most watched golf event in at least a calendar year (excluding the previous season’s Masters, duh). Maybe a battle back and forth battle between Spieth, Rickie and Thomas? At the very least, let’s keep our fingers crossed someone in the final group nails a 50-footer on 18 to win the $3.6 million prize. To maintain it’s clout in golf, THE PLAYERS needs to prove that “It’s better than most” in ’24.
A MAJOR breakthrough for a fan favorite
Golf is at a crossroads. Tiger is (almost) eligible for the Senior Tour. The SB2K crew (that used to spend their post-Masters break chugging Casamigos) are responsible parents now.
We blinked and the stars of tomorrow are basically some of the game’s old veterans. But there is no shortage of talent gunning for a Major victory. The likes of Viktor Hovland and Max Homa come to mind as to who is “due” next. Albeit a SB2K member through and through, how about the forever looking young Rickie Fowler pulling off a Major victory? He’s now sitting inside the Top 25 of the OWGR and would unite fans young and old-ish. Or, do we go straight to the most promising young talent playing today, Ludvig Aberg, and root for the big handsome Swede who hits perfect rippers down the tightest of fairways to become golf’s next big thing?
International Team shocks the world by winning the Presidents Cup
Will the rumored “broken” locker room for Team USA at the last Ryder Cup carry over to 2024’s biggest team competition? Americans have thoroughly dominated the Presidents Cup since its inception. In late September, when the Americans take on the International Team led by Mike Weir at Royal Montreal, fans will be watching, but only as long as the competition stays close.
The biggest key for Captain Weir’s team to be able to compete will be having a full roster of international stars at his disposal, most notably, Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann. Remember, this is a PGA TOUR run event, so the tour would need to allow the Internationals to field their best possible roster to even have a chance in Canada. Would they really do that though? To make golf “better” – which is what the PGA TOUR and LIV both preach as their primary motivation – the best players need to play in the highest-profile team events. Fans deserve it.
An actual battle at the FedEx Cup final
Most golf fans remember exactly where they were when Tiger began his march up the 18th hole at East Lake in 2018 on his way to victory. A raucous crowd engulfed the fairway (and Rory) as his comeback story would carry all the way to the next Masters – which he admirably won as well. Now we are not saying FedEx Cup Final must deliver a Tiger-like finish to blow minds in ‘24 because that would be a bit unreasonable. But we just hope no one runs completely away with the 2024 edition like Vik Hovland did with last year’s 5-shot victory. (Credit does go out to Hov’s stellar back-nine that made the final hour an absolute snooze-fest.) We want to be on the edge of our seats, not relaxed on the couch. Next time, any leader up by 5 needs to do us a favor and dunk it into the lake on 16 and then hit a big topper into the lake on 18 for good measure. We love you Hov. But we love a thrilling finish to a grand golf event better.
Team USA sweeps in Paris
While it was nice seeing all-time good guy Justin Rose win a gold medal for Britain in 2016, let’s be honest, for Americans, a first-place finish is the standard in pretty much every sport at the Olympics. Xander Schauffele brought the Gold home from Tokyo three years ago. We hope every stud golfer that bleeds red, white and blue has every intention of representing their home country in France. Team USA will have four golfers in the field. A sweep of the podium would be an excellent way to re-establish world golf dominance ahead of the Presidents Cup.