Who’s your early pick to win the Masters?
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
Aldrich Potgieter is the latest young gun to emerge on the PGA Tour this year, coming oh so close to winning in Mexico last Sunday. The South African is leading the Tour in driving distance and is just 20 years old. He joins other youngsters like Tom Kim, Akshay Bhattia, Nicolai Hojgaard, Nick Dunlap and a handful of players still in college, all of whom have been winning and contending on Tour lately. At 25, Ludvig Aberg of the picture-perfect swing and calm demeanour, is often touted as the best of the bunch. Fifteen years from now, probably only two of them will have generated the number of wins and majors to be future Hall of Famers. Who do you think makes it from this crop of up-and-comers?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): : One of the benefits of the advent of LIV Golf is that it did a good cleanout of the top rank (Cam Smith, DeChambeau, Kopeka, Rahm, even Mickelson), and some of the mid-rank of the PGA Tour, opening up opportunities for a lot of young guns to compete. How many first-time winners have we seen in the last three years? Lots, and I think it’s great. But not many can seem to sustain their early promise. Aberg certainly has separated himself from the crowd, so I’d put him in the sustainer class. I would add Sahith Theegala and Viktor Hovland to that list, even though they haven’t lit any fires lately.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): There’s no need to search other names, Aberg will have that world class player career by 2040 (as long as he can stay healthy). He is legitimate talent, and if he improves his putting even just slightly, I have no doubt he’ll rattle off a bunch of wins and a few Majors. he doesn’t seem to mind those pressure packed moments, which serves any world class athlete well.
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: This is a tough assignment. Sometimes, young players take longer to emerge (Tom Watson), while others are ready to go from the start, like Jack and Tiger. Then, others show early promise but don’t carry on (Marty Fleckman). Any prediction has to include Aberg, but Miles Russell and Dumont De Chassant are yet to be seen.
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): It’s so hard to predict who is going to have a long prosperous career in golf, so few are consistent enough for long enough to be a Hall of Famers. Remember when we were all wondering which one of Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland or Matthew Wolff would be the next superstar? Morikawa and Hovland have had their moments to be sure, but Wolff disappeared into LIV obscurity after struggling on the PGA Tour. Ludvig Aberg is the real deal, and barring something very unexpected, he’ll be at the top of the game for a long time. Who would be second on that list? That’s tough to predict, and any guess would be just that, a guess. Nick Dunlap seems to have what it takes to win and would be as good a guess as any.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Aberg has shown the world that he has the game and the mindset to have an historic career. Unlike some of us, he should be basking in his storied accomplishments come 2040. And the young South African has already demonstrated that he very well could be a generational talent — the British Am at 17 (2nd youngest), Korn Ferry win at 19 — and being a divine tree intervention from winning in Mexico. Potgieter’s incredible distance to going to be a factor for maybe another decade. And he doesn’t look like he has to spend hours in the gym every day to achieve it — he hit a 280-yard 4-iron (four!) in Mexico. The game is changing and evolving, and these two “Internationals” are leading the way now and into the foreseeable future.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): I was really impressed with Potgieter. Obviously he has the length and he has a calmness about him you don’t usually see in 20-year-olds. Aberg for sure, Bhattia and Tom Kim probably. After that it’s a crap shoot. But it’s going to be very exciting to watch.
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour remain at an impasse but speculation about a deal often includes the return of LIV Golfers. In your opinion, how many LIV golfers should the Tour take back directly without reservation and who are they?
Deeks: I would suggest zero. Letting them earn their way back, through Q-School, would be a generous concession by the Tour, in my view.
Loughry: There are more than 10 world class players on LIV, but I’d take no more than 15 back onto the PGA Tour. The others are in no man’s land (dwindling careers or mediocre players). I’d take Mikkelson on that list, not because of his current abilities, it’s just he’s worthy of it (second best player of this era).
Schurman: Make a list of the top 100 on each Tour. Provide a points list starting at first place finish, earning 100 points plus a 10-point bonus for winning. Then go down the list, giving 99 for 2nd place finish, 98 for 3rd, 97 for fourth, etc., all the way down to 200th (both lists combined). The top 100 have ‘cards’ and then hold a qualifying round for the lowest 100 playing for the remaining 25 spots to get 125 cards. Those who don’t qualify get the top spots on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Rule: Based on competitiveness, there are probably 6-8 guys that deserve to be on the PGA Tour at this time. As for guys they should take back? I’d say 6 – Bryson, Rahm, Hatton, Brooks, Joaquin Niemann and Cam Smith.
Quinn: Well, let’s see. Counting all the LIV’ers capable of moving the Tour needle plus the ones who haven’t demonstrated an amorality consistent with their current paymasters, that number rounds up to zero. Drumpf said he’d fix it in 15 minutes. Nothing happened after four hours. The art in any deal will be convincing the Tour that it has anything to gain from teeing it up with a group that has blown through $5 billion and has nothing to show for it.
Mumford: I’d take six: Rahm, Koepka, Smith, DeChambeau, Reed and Mickelson. They all move the needle. No way the Tour wants Phil back but I’d bet many fans do, even if he’s past his prime. As for the rest, they could have routes through other tours and eventually world rankings. Nobody is missing them now and that’s not likely to change if they’re not back on Tour if and when a merger happens.
So far, the PGA Tour has played eight tournaments and has eight different winners. With no-one dominating, who’s your early pick to win the Masters?
Deeks: I can’t help it. I’ll pick Rory McIlroy every year until he wins the damn thing. (Second choice: Cory Conners.)
Loughry: I’ll take Scheffler to win the Masters right now. He’s still a highlight reel holing out from fairways, bunkers and around the green. I think he’s just tuning up.
Schurman: This Masters could be the most hotly contended in a long time. Many are coming in highly motivated Scheffler, Rory, Rahm, Schauffele, Aberg and Tiger. I’d love to see Rory do it! Don’t forget there’s a major before that in March.
Rule: It’s hard to not pick Scottie given how consistent he is and how well he plays the course, but Jon Rahm has to be in the conversation too. Perhaps the best somewhat sleeper pick at this time is Hideki, past champion who can get as hot as anyone. So, Hideki is my early choice, but check back in early April, I’ll certainly have another name ready!
Quinn: The pick remains Rory. Still think he’s going to have a breakthrough season, in the sense of breaking through the mental blockades he’s created to keep himself from completing the Slam. This could be the long-awaited Holywood ending at Augusta National.
Mumford: It’s always a tough call for me between McIlroy and Spieth. Maybe the two of them can make a deal to give Rory the green jacket and Jordan the Wannamaker. That way they both get their personal Grand Slam.
