Players To Watch 2012

[TundraToad]

golf drafts starting up .. sleepers and must haves

Hello

So the golf drafts for 2012 are starting up. Some go quite deep and also includes the Champion Tour.

Who are your sleepers and must haves for 2012.

[MileHighClub]

Sleeper -Kokrak
Must Haves- McIlroy, Woodland, Bradley, and Simpson.

[ethanlculver]

Guys I expect to have lots of success, meaning 2+ wins (on the PGA Tour only)
[list][*]Tiger Woods[*]Rory McIlroy[*]Webb Simpson[*]Matt Kuchar[*]Adam Scott[*]Bubba Watson[*]Rickie Fowler[*]Phil Mickelson[/list]
Sleepers: guys who are not incredibly well-known but could have some success:
[list][*]Gary Woodland[*]Hunter Mahan[*]Keegan Bradley[*]Brandt Snedeker[/list]

Probably even more I'd like to add but that's my list for now.

[irlgolf56]

[quote name='MrElculver2424' timestamp='1323376928' post='3912345']
Guys I expect to have lots of success, meaning 2+ wins (on the PGA Tour only)
[list][*]Tiger Woods[*]Rory McIlroy[*]Webb Simpson[*]Matt Kuchar[*]Adam Scott[*]Bubba Watson[*]Rickie Fowler[*]Phil Mickelson[/list]
Sleepers: guys who are not incredibly well-known but could have some success:
[list][*]Gary Woodland[*]Hunter Mahan[*]Keegan Bradley[*]Brandt Snedeker[/list]

Probably even more I'd like to add but that's my list for now.
[/quote]

I would have thought the most recent major winner would have qualified under well-known players lol.

[ethanlculver]

[quote name='irlgolf56' timestamp='1323378464' post='3912489']
[quote name='MrElculver2424' timestamp='1323376928' post='3912345']
Guys I expect to have lots of success, meaning 2+ wins (on the PGA Tour only)
[list][*]Tiger Woods[*]Rory McIlroy[*]Webb Simpson[*]Matt Kuchar[*]Adam Scott[*]Bubba Watson[*]Rickie Fowler[*]Phil Mickelson[/list]
Sleepers: guys who are not incredibly well-known but could have some success:
[list][*]Gary Woodland[*]Hunter Mahan[*]Keegan Bradley[*]Brandt Snedeker[/list]

Probably even more I'd like to add but that's my list for now.
[/quote]

I would have thought the most recent major winner would have qualified under well-known players lol.
[/quote]

Yeah, I guess he is well-known, and so is Hunter Mahan, but they're kind of guys who are still kind of middle-of-the-pack and could break out and have good years. I should have worded the title differently.

Keegan had 2 wins but also a ton of horrible finishes. Overall it wasn't that great of a season. You have to be consistent too. So that's why I didn't put him in the first category.

[Dill Pickleson]

i think villegas will have a great ear

[59Mr.59]

Musts- Tiger, Stricker, DJ, KJ, Kuch, Phil, McIlroy, Luke, Westy

Sleepers- Kokrak, Mark Anderson, Billy Hurley, Brian Harman, SY Nol

[geesecougar2]

2012 will be the the year of Tiger vs. Rory.

Villegas is a good call too, he has to have a rebound year.

Also I am hoping a motivated Boo Weekly will have some success on sponsors exemptions. To finish the year 4th in total driving and 1st in GIR and still not even come close to keeping his card.......scary. Maybe he should go to a belly putter.

[highdraw69]

Rory is the biggest of the "must have" group -- i'm looking for a MONSTER 2012 from him;
among established players, these would be on my short list must have group in order of preference:

Gary Woodland
Bo Van Pelt
Rickie Fowler
Tiger Woods
Bubba Watson
Ben Crane


look out for the Koreans in 2012: in addition to established players like KJ Choi and YE Yang and Charlie Wi, Seung-yul Noh & Sang-Moon Bae both got cards at Q-school -- both of the latter would be in my sleeper pool -- as would Danny Lee (Korean-born Kiwi) who got a card thru the Nationwide circuit (also, I'm not sure if Prez Cup hero KT Kim has any status, but if he shows up in some US events on an exemption or via top 50 world ranking standings, look out!)

more "established" player sleeper pics:

Kyle Stanley
Chad Campbell
Chris Kirk

i look for 3 themes in 2012

#1 -- the year of Rory McIlroy
#2 -- the ups and downs of Tiger
#3 -- the stampede of Korean men

[swanry30]

look for players coming off injuries - or better yet a first year back at 100%. not just because he is my avatar - but i would factor VILLEGAS in for a much better year. thinking AK will make his way back to the winners circle as well.

i would also predict only three or four players with multiple wins...

[ethanlculver]

[quote name='swanry30' timestamp='1323384532' post='3913025']
look for players coming off injuries - or better yet a first year back at 100%. not just because he is my avatar - but i would factor VILLEGAS in for a much better year. thinking AK will make his way back to the winners circle as well.

i would also predict only three or four players with multiple wins...
[/quote]

I would agree with that...but Stricker I'm a little worried about. He's in the middle of therapy, yet he's playing this week and doesn't plan to rest his arm for very long (He expects to be at the PGA Tour 2012 opener as well). He said he still has weakness and tingling in his hand, and I don't know what to expect from him next year.

[swbyps]

I look for Jason Day to take the next step in 2012. He should get a win and have some nice top 10s. I would not be forthcoming if I didnt mention Tiger. I think he will win twice...possibly 3 times. If he wins a major, I think it will be in the second half of the year...British or PGA. If he continues to progress like this, he should be in pretty good form by then. And on the flip side, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be the beginning of the end for Phil Mickelson. Something, not sure what, gives me the feeling that he is going to struggle.

[BigPete]

Jason Day - what's the next step? Majors? He's 8 in the World and had 10 top tens this year already just on the PGA. I guess he's due some more silverware after coming so close so often this year.

This year was just crazy for first time and rookie winners and with 11 of the last 12 majors won by first timers - golf is almost impossible to predict these days.

More of the young guys coming through and more slippage of the old guard down the rankings. I keep waiting for Stricker to fall away but he's still the top ranked American - fair play to him.

Oh and Sergio to win some....

[ethanlculver]

[quote name='swbyps' timestamp='1323387902' post='3913341']
I look for Jason Day to take the next step in 2012. He should get a win and have some nice top 10s. I would not be forthcoming if I didnt mention Tiger. I think he will win twice...possibly 3 times. If he wins a major, I think it will be in the second half of the year...British or PGA. If he continues to progress like this, he should be in pretty good form by then. And on the flip side, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be the beginning of the end for Phil Mickelson. Something, not sure what, gives me the feeling that he is going to struggle.
[/quote]

I'm not too sure what to think about Jason Day. His play Down Under and at the Chevron World Challenge was downright awful. Not a good way to end the year and no momentum going into 2012. I guess that doesn't mean a lot though; he's a great player and he should play well next year.

I'm still sticking to my prediction of 2 majors and 6 total wins for Tiger Woods next year. (6 wins total, some may not be official PGA Tour events). I'm thinking a Masters win and then the other at Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship. I'll get a lot of critics for predicting all that but I truly feel something special about next year for him. We'll just have to wait and see.

And after reading your thoughts on Phil Mickelson, I am going to have to take him out of my "top contenders" of next year. I now agree with you. I feel it could be the beginning of the end for him as well. He might win once, but I don't see much of an increase in his OWGR position--there are too many younger players in the game.

[tgtaggie]

[quote name='MrElculver2424' timestamp='1323389922' post='3913505']
[quote name='swbyps' timestamp='1323387902' post='3913341']
I look for Jason Day to take the next step in 2012. He should get a win and have some nice top 10s. I would not be forthcoming if I didnt mention Tiger. I think he will win twice...possibly 3 times. If he wins a major, I think it will be in the second half of the year...British or PGA. If he continues to progress like this, he should be in pretty good form by then. And on the flip side, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be the beginning of the end for Phil Mickelson. Something, not sure what, gives me the feeling that he is going to struggle.
[/quote]

I'm not too sure what to think about Jason Day. His play Down Under and at the Chevron World Challenge was downright awful. Not a good way to end the year and no momentum going into 2012. I guess that doesn't mean a lot though; he's a great player and he should play well next year.

I'm still sticking to my prediction of 2 majors and 6 total wins for Tiger Woods next year. (6 wins total, some may not be official PGA Tour events). I'm thinking a Masters win and then the other at Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship. I'll get a lot of critics for predicting all that but I truly feel something special about next year for him. We'll just have to wait and see.

And after reading your thoughts on Phil Mickelson, I am going to have to take him out of my "top contenders" of next year. I now agree with you. I feel it could be the beginning of the end for him as well. He might win once, but I don't see much of an increase in his OWGR position--there are too many younger players in the game.
[/quote]

+1 on El Tigre at Kiawah Island. If it is windy, this course probably will play similar to the Open Championship next year. I would not be surprise to see him winning at Augusta next year (had not finish out of the Top 5 in the last couple of years)

Rory will probably win 2 times. I want to see how his game adjusts to a Luke Donald style schedule.

Phil- He won the Shell last year and wowed us at the Open Championship but I think we will have to see if his health holds up. I still believe before it is all said and done with his career he will be hoisting up a Claret Jug on a Sunday in July.

DJ needs to start contending more often than not. He is too talented not to be a factor week in and week out.

2012 could be the return of AK.

[ztsquared33]

Bud Cauley, the kid is a stud! I think he will win before fowler does. If this was baseball he'd be a five tool player.

[blies]

sleeper kevin chappel

[Br1an02;]

Kyle Stanley, Camilo Villegas, and hopefully some Chris Dimarco

[MizunoJunky]

I think Steve Marino will get a win next year.

[MileHighClub]

[quote name='ztsquared33' timestamp='1323406175' post='3914817']
Bud Cauley, the kid is a stud! I think he will win before fowler does. If this was baseball he'd be a five tool player.
[/quote]

+1. Very impressive.

[Gutz_it]

look out for the Koreans in 2012: in addition to established players like KJ Choi and YE Yang and Charlie Wi, Seung-yul Noh & Sang-Moon Bae both got cards at Q-school -- both of the latter would be in my sleeper pool -- as would Danny Lee (Korean-born Aussie) who got a card thru the Nationwide circuit (also, I'm not sure if Prez Cup hero KT Kim has any status, but if he shows up in some US events on an exemption or via top 50 world ranking standings, look out!)

-1
Comment fail
Danny lee is as Aussie as rory mcilroy is English
There's another small country
I think it's called new Zealand
Yeah that sounds right

[Sing Golfer]

Bae and Noh, Koreans who got through Q School as sleepers.

Tiger to win 5+ times.

Jason Day to also have multiple wins.

Oosthuizen and Casey coming off injuries are more established sleepers.

[jmvargas]

2012 will be one of the most exciting years in golf we will see in recent years due to the following:

.....everyone is waiting with bated breath as to what tiger will do now that he seems to be on the way back...
these accomplishments can range from being just a run of the mill winner of 1 or 2 regular PGA events all the way to winning multiple majors and regaining the no. 1 spot..

.....all the "best players without a major" will be doing their best to get rid of that monicker--ie--luke donald, lee westwood, steve stricker, , kj choi, sergio garcia,matt kuchar....et al......

.....the young guns will be trying their best to live up to their perceived potential and more---these will include ricky fowler, jason day, mateo mannasero, noh sung yul, ryo ishikawa...et al..

.....we may see some resurgences of players who had a relatively "poor" 2011...phil mickelson comes to mind..

.....we can expect some new faces from the rookie class to shine--i cannot begin to guess who they will be..

.....i can't wait!!!

[Thrillhouse]

seung yul noh is gonna be the hotshot youngster, and charl schwartzel is going to move into the top 5 and stay there for the next ten years.

[geesecougar2]

[quote name='Kevin N.' timestamp='1323413900' post='3915147']
I think Steve Marino will get a win next year.
[/quote]

Ooh great call. Love watching Steve Marino and he's come awful close a bunch of times.

[eric_b]

I really think Sergio is gonna have a good year. After his back to back win....and seeing him smile periodically on the course, I think he's gonna have an even more solid year than he had this year. Might even have a go at a major.

I also think that, love him or hate him, Tiger is going to have a big year. Couple wins minimum.

Here's hoping Jason Day, Gary Woodland, Matt Kuchar and Steve Marino pick up some hardware too.

[MattBFL]

I like Day and DJ for must haves

For sleepers, I like Oosthuizen, Seung-yul Noh, Sang-moon Bae, and Jimmy Walker.

O'hair finished out 2011 strong, so he could be someone to go after in a full season format depending on his price.

[mdtgolf]

I'd keep an eye on the tiger guy

[starsail85]

I see tiger winning the masters, emphatically, I really think the guy is seriously motivated, and there's nobody better at building on any momentum

I don't see him winning at kiawa or lytham if there is any wind, I have yet to see him play well in an open with any wind, although he was impressive in the Australian winds last month

I'd say sergio has a good shot if wind comes, and maybe the spirit of seve will find him at lytham

I don't see anything from donald, I feel as if he can't play any better than he did this year

mcilroy is a funny one, I could see him winning possibly at Augusta, or the PGA, but he is exposed in the wind, and still isn't a proven winner down the stretch for me

I see Adam Scott and watney contending all year

[jldavis73]

I look for J.B. Holmes to win and have his best year yet. Was playing really well in 2011 prior to his brain surgery. I just hope that, now he's well, he can speed it a little.