Yesterday, (Friday) I was reminded it was Easter this weekend and for some reason I thought it was a week away.  It was moments later that I realized that next week is actually Masters Week...in my world, the best week of the year.
But for as much as I love the Masters, I'm just now thinking about it, which means I have some work to do on checking out the field, getting set up for my Masters picks, and prepping for the annual Masters menu!
Before looking ahead, I just wanted to share a few thoughts & memories.
First, I'm smiling right now thinking about my first trip to Arizona, staying with a friend's family and it was Masters & Easter weekend...it was the absolute best.
Next, I'm thinking about the catalog of amazing golf shots that happened all over Augusta National over many years.  We all have our favorites, and mine include Phil and Freddie.
I'm also thinking about friends who have made the sacred journey to Augusta.  I never get tired of the stories and photos.  Someday I hope my feet will find their way there, too.
A smile comes to my face to visualize azaleas, pine straw, Rae's Creek, patrons, and that green jacket.
The Masters in November was both wonderful and weird...but it was so awesome to see Dustin Johnson join the elite list of Master's champions.  What will he have in store for us next week?
I took my first look at the field this evening, looked through the Golf Digest ranking of all entrants, and realized that I have been out of touch on some talented PGA Tour players!  My favorite thing to look at each year is the Invitee List that shows how each player qualified for the field.  There are 19 ways to get a Master's Invite, and 37 out of the current 88 invitees are in the field because of 1 qualifier, and of those, eleven (11) are playing because they already have a green jacket.  There are currently 16 past winners who have opted not to play at August National next week, including the recovering Tiger Woods.
Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson met 7 of the 19 qualifiers to join the Masters Field this week.  Some final fun facts...there are 3 amateurs playing as well as only 6 first time invitees (including the 3 amateurs).
So who does Golf Digest rank as the top 3 players?  Number 3 is Jordan Spieth, which is great to see after some time of struggle.  Bryson DeChambeau is ranked #2 by Golf Digest (ranked #5 on the OWGR), and comes into the field with 6 qualifiers, including being a Major Champion.  The top ranked player (by Golf Digest standards), is Justin Thomas.  I'm a big JT fan and would love to see him in Butler Cabin next Sunday.  As the #2 player in the world right now, it's probably right to say the Masters is his to lose.
I would suspect some would think that Dustin Johnson would have been the favorite, and I'm not sure there's much difference at the highest level.  Pretty sure DJ is more than ready to defend.
A few surprises on the Golf Digest list were:  Rory McIlroy was ranked #23, and it was noted that for the first time in 3 years he is out of the Top Ten on the World Ranking.  Number 30 is Brooks Koepka, and being out of the loop, I didn't know he had knee surgery last month.  He's currently in the field, but there is some question on his healing and level of pain he will be in.   I was surprised to see Harris English at #40...I didn't realize that due to a set of circumstances he landed at the Tournament of Champions by way of the Tour Championship and then won the TOC.  Just a few years ago English was 369 on the OWGR, and now has risen to 21st.  It would be neat to see him in the mix.
I can't end without talking about some of my favorites...first of course is Phil Mickelson.  Yep, he's not a top pick and he's (gulp) 106th in the world, but dang it, my heart will be cheering him on all week.  Then there's Matt Kuchar. (Go Matt!)  Kuch has the Georgia roots and a 3rd Place finish at the match play last week that makes me excited about this chances.  He'd look great in a green jacket!   Justin Rose might be considered "the other Justin" but I love that he loves the Masters and I'm a fan!  He's been holding out with some back issues, so hopefully Augusta will be kind.
When you hear Masters week and you automatically think "best week of the year", I hope you find the same joy I do.
Close your eyes, hear the birds, visualize the azaleas, feel the sun, and get ready to cheer.  Masters Week is almost here!!!

October in Minnesota...for some, this time of year is when you're trying to get those last rounds in before the snow blankets the fairways, and, for others, golf season was buttoned up not long after kids go back to school and the sun sets not long after dinner

This October, for me anyway, has a different meaning.  One of my favorite golfing pals unexpectedly passed away this weekend and I'm hoping that remembering him here, now, will help fill the hole in my heart.

While I'll battle tears as I write, I'm already smiling thinking about Butch.  I met him when I worked at our local course in the mid 90's.  He would drive up in his sea green Ford Probe and often times play golf alone in the afternoons.  A few times back then I played with him...I'll be honest - he intimidated me...he was quiet, but also direct...and a good golfer.   But he always welcomed me to play along if I could find a few free hours.

Butch was a great supporter of the course and our little restaurant.  I remember one year, at the end of the season, we were trying to get rid of our last inventory and he bought bread and lunch meat, even though he probably didn't need it.  That's who he was.

I got to know him a lot better after being invited into the most exclusive foursome I knew...after our friend Looper passed away I was invited to be the new 4th with Butch, Coach, and Super.  I cried then, too, when they asked me - filling Looper's shoes was a big ask, but I've never felt more welcome or included.  It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Playing with these three, I learned a lot about golf games...and negotiations.  I swear, it may have been more fun for them than the actual golf!!  The trash talking was relentless and often there would be fake pity for injuries or lack of playing.  Butch was classic for reminding us all that he NEVER got to play...he may not even know where his clubs are or maybe they were sold in a rummage sale.  But miraculously he would show up, early of course, and the smooth swing was right there, too.

For the record, I was never part of the negotiations...my partner, Super, was well, a master.  Watching Coach and Butch put together their offers together was fantastic - and while Butch might appear intimidating, he was always the one who would end up caving in to Super's offers and Coach would just shake his head.  It was hilarious.

I found some old emails that summed up our group...2011:
Butch: "Good for me I'll pick up everybody, we'll figure out a time, do we have time for range to warm up?  I say we get there about 6:30am"

Super: "Warm up- What is that?"

Coach: "Butch,  Please don’t respond to their e-mails…I don’t want you to agree to any negotiations they may throw out there."

Super: "Why does it have to turn adversary before we start. Can’t we all just get along."

Butch: "I say we get a couple a side...we go to Lutsen we win, we go to Fortune Bay we win...looks like this is our last time to Giants Ridge... In a few years there'll be no where else they can try"

Me:  "Partner,  Just an FYI - Butch was knocking the "low round ever on the Lake 9" door when we played last week.  I on the other hand took a quad and triple in my round last week at Enger." 

Butch: "Double, double, double, bogey finish, golf is an 18 hole game & I have 18 holes in in 2011"

Super: "May I suggest we meet in the Lakeview National parking lot at 6:15 AM or is Butch picking us up at our houses so Coach is not late? Negotiating can NOT start until 7:00 AM"

Butch:  "I will pick my partner up at his house at 6am, the opponents don't get the premium service
In 12 hours the fun begins:"

I love this.  So much.
For the record...I'm pretty sure Super and I won that year!!  I distinctly remember hitting a drive left into some trees and it kicked right out into the middle of the fairway - I knew it was Looper helping me out!!

In the past couple of years, schedules and health issues did make us miss playing together - but Butch played with us last year in a football fundraiser - it was some of the worst rain I'd ever golfed in, but we had a blast!!  

I'm heartbroken that we didn't have one more time...one  more time to see that smooth swing, that putting stroke (his putting stroke was a little Steve Striker like!), his walk...which at times looked like he was stiff as a board, and his smile.

I will smile more when I think of him, after the shock of this wears off...and I'll remember that being together is what matters...I'm beyond blessed for the times we golfed, talked, laughed, and appreciated life and our friendships.

The US Open is coming to the Midwest!  Erin Hills, in Erin, Wisconsin will be the host in 2017.  Not knowing much about the course, but loving their logo, it seems like Rory would be a great pick here, too!!  But I'm going to go with Henrik Stenson.  I got on his fan bus last year and well, he's accurate off the tee and has a great GIR %.  What's not to like on a what is usually a tight course?
Uff da...Not a great pick here - Stenson missed the cut with 73-74, with Brooks Koepka taking home the championship by 4 strokes.  Rickie Fowler started hot with a 65 but followed it up with a 73 and ended up T5.

This year the Champion Golfer of the Year will be determined at Royal Birkdale, located 20 miles north of Liverpool.  The last time the Open was at Birkdale, Padraig Harrington was your champion, so it's been awhile to base any decision on history.  So looking at other past winners there, and unapologically following my heart, I'm going with Matt Kuchar.  Kuch SO deserves a Major and I've just got a feeling.
Oh, if it hadn't been for Jordan Spieth, and that final round back 9, this prediction might have come true!!  Kuchar ended up solo 2nd, 3 strokes behind Spieth who gave 3 strokes to Kuch on the front 9 before rallying...-5 on the last 4 holes!  I love Spieth, so it was hard not to be happy for him, but my heart, oh my heart, was wanting to believe this would be his first Major!!  I give this a heart win. 

Argubly, the best field of the year, the PGA Championship will be at Quail Hollow in August.  The site of the Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow has some history...a 2-time winner there is Rory McIlroy, and it's not often that I would pick the same person more than once for a Major, but Rory might just be a 2-time Major winner in 2017.  Go Rory!
Huh, I didn't remember I was on a Rory kick a year ago...and I didn't know last January that Justin Thomas would have the year he had, including this win at the PGA Championship.  McIlroy finished T22, so I guess that's better than a MC. Thomas made me a fan this year!!

The Players Championship is one of my favorites, and while I was saving this tournament of Dustin Johnson (2016 player of the year!) after looking at his history here, I'm not sure it's the right fit.  So I'm going to go with Hideki Matsuyama.  He's off to a great start in the 16-17 season, and he finished T7 last year.
Si Woo Kim came out victorious at the 2017 Players, and the best Matsuyama could do was T22.  I'll have to do some better research next year!

Okay, now back to Dustin Johnson...DJ is just so fun to watch and deserving for POY honors in 2016.  I believe DJ will win 2 times in 2017 and have 12 Top 10's...with a possible win at the Shell Houston Open as he gets ready for Augusta.
DJ carded 4 wins in the 16-17 season, but if you remember, didn't play the Masters after a tumble down some stairs...and he didn't play the Shell.  With only 20 events this year he had a solid 8 top 10's that included his 4 wins...which included the Dell Match Play.  Current #1 on the OWGR, DJ ha d a great year!

The current #1 Player in the world is getting back into the swing of things. and Jason Day may be prime for a great season, especially with his new Nike apparel!  He plays the bigger events and I believe he'll be in contention in at least 3 of the 4 Majors, just coming up short in each of them.  But he will have 2 wins, one early and one at the end of the year.  I think 75% of his events he will be in the top 20.
This was not a great year for Day, who did not card any wins on the PGA Tour and had some family commitments that came first.  In 20 events, there were 12 top 25's, but also 4 missed cuts.  An off year for Day may mean a rebound in '18.

Phil Mickelson has been on my mind since the Ryder Cup - while I know there are new players to be fans of, i just can't get off the Lefty fan bus!!  Winless since 2013, Mickelson did card 3 seconds in 2016 and earned just over $4 million.  2017 seems like a perfect time for a W!  He's had a good history on the west coast, and I think the fans would LOVE a win at the Waste Management Open.  I, of course, would love a run a the Masters, but if not the WMO we might see a win at the St. Jude.
2017 didn't bring an individual win for Mickelson, but he had a great President's Cup!!  Lefty had 5 top 10's in 22 events with only 2 MC's.  It's going to be hard to to root for him again in 2018!!

I had high hopes for Rickie Fowler in 2016, but he only had 1 top 3 & 8 top 10's making $2.7 million for the season, with no wins.  He brings excitement to the game so I hope we'll see some more higher finishes and I think we will see a win this year as well...and possibly a run at the PGA Championship.
Yes, a win for Fowler!!  Fowler had a decent 2017 season with a win at the Honda and 10 top 10's in 21 events.  And he did finish T5 at the PGA so I'm calling this one a win! 

How have I gotten this far without mentioning Jordan Spieth??  There is SO much to like about Jordan and I'm always rooting for him.  After the amazing 2015 season, '16 was a little bit of a yo-yo year, 2 wins but only 8 top 10's in 21 events, including 2 MC's.  $5.5 million is nothing to sneeze at for the year, but a $12 million prior season makes a weird perspective.  My hope for Jordan is a 3 win season, runs at all the Majors and 50% of his events will end up in the top 10.  I'm also going to say Top 5 at the Sony Open that he just confirmed.
Thank you, Jordan!!  It WAS a 3 win season for Jordan, including another Major at the British Open...and in 23 events he had 12 top 10's...AND he finished 5th at the Sony - I'm calling this another win!!

Okay some scatter shooting (a la Sam Johnson) on a few more guys:
Sergio Garcia, while he doesn't play a lot of events here, I think he'll have a win and 5 top 10's and earn over $4 million (even if he's getting married!)
Well, I was a little off on this one...Sergio played 17 events, had 3 top 10's and earned about $3.5 million - and got a nice little Green Jacket. 

Danny Willett will miss the cut at the Masters this year. (I might still be a little bitter about how he was at the Ryder Cup this year)
This was true - 73-78 +7 CUT

Adam Scott will break into the top 5 in the OWGR at some point in 2017, will have 1 win, and no missed cuts.
Well I'm 0 for everything on Adam Scott - at the beginning of 2017 Scott was at #6 in the world but never broke into the top 5 - and now as of this week he's #31...sheesh.  He didn't have any wins this year on the PGA Tour and he had 3 missed cuts.  Here's rooting for a better 2018!!

I've started to like Ryan Moore more now after the Ryder Cup - I think he's going to get into the Top 25 in the OWGR sometime this year, make the cut in all the Majors, getting into the Top 5 at the US Open.
Another overly optimistic prediction - Moore got to #30 on the OWGR in Feb. 2017 but then fell down the list, landing at #54 at the end of November.  Moore made the cut at the Masters, missed the cut at the British, and WD'd at the US Open with a shoulder injury.  Hopefully we'll see a little turnaround!

I picked Stenson to win the US Open this year but I think he will have a multi-win season, and he'll knock on the door to the #1 spot on the OWGR but will be #2 at some point in 2017. 
If I remember, Stenson did have some injury issues this year, so I guess that may have impacted his 2017 results.  Stenson had 1 win this year, was at #3 in the world early in 2017 and while staying in the top 10, is now lingering at #9 at the end of November.

I LOVED Patrick Reed at the Ryder Cup!!  And he had a great 2016, with a win, 11 top 10's and over $5.6 million in earnings, ending up 3rd in the FedEx Cup race.  So I guess what he needs next is a Major...he was in the Top 15 in the Britsh & PGA so I think we might see him make a run at one this year but may have to wait to hoist a trophy (Prove me wrong, PReed!)  
Well, PReed had 4 top 10's in 29 events...and he did have a run at the PGA with a T2 finish, but otherwise just had a ho-hum year.  Maybe he just does better in a team setting?

Jimmy Walker was a bit under the radar for me last year, until he won the PGA!  With only 5 Top 10's in 25 events, I think Walker has something to prove in '17 - he will win, have 8 top 10's and move inside the top 30 on the OWGR at some point in 2017. 
I'm feeling a little like a jinx this year!!  Walker played in 21 events, only had 1 top 10, but he did break the top 30 in week 1 of the 2017 year - all the way down to #20 - and hung around the 20's until the Players in May and then started to take a tumble, landing outside the top 50 at the end of November.

I contemplated including Tiger Woods - I honestly don't know what his plans are, how long he will last, or if the drive is still in him.  But if I had to guess, I don't think we'll see a win, but we'll see enough improvement that he'll get plenty of TV coverage and and 3 Top 10's.
OH Tiger...in 2 events in  the 16-17 season there was really nothing to see.  But we should be seeing him at his event before the end of 2017 and we should get some sense if we'll be seeing him tee it up in 2018.

My ultimate Heart Pick is of course Steve Stricker - his limited schedule gave us 15 events in 2016, and with a 4th at the British Open I'm hoping that means we'll see him at all the Majors this year...ESPECIALLY the Masters!!  It may be just the sign/inspiration he needs to get his Major and Green Jacket!!  I hope that means we'll see him in some events leading up to Augusta and I'm going to say he'll have 4 Top 10's this year and crack the $2 million mark in earnings.  GO STEVE!!
Well, with Stricker finding himself more on the Champions Tour, it was going to be a challenge to get good finishes in his limited events on the PGA Tour - in 13 events he had 2 top 10's, 2 top 16's in Majors and 2 missed cuts...I'm still not going give up on a Major!!  But it will be a challenge to get there. GO STEVE!!

Oh there's so many more I could write about, but I think I'll end it here.
I can't tell you how much the Ryder Cup inspired me and I've got a little PGA Tour fever in me now, too.
Definitely need to read up on new rookies and get my Fantasy logic together, but I'm looking forward to seeing lush fairways, great shots, and memories made in 2017.
Enjoy the PGA Tour Season!

I know I"m a little late to the game on the SBS Tournament of Champions, but it would be fun to see Patrick Reed make a Sunday run and win it!
Well, Reed didn't make a run, this is where it all began for Justin Thomas - we'll definitely be on my list in 2018!

Well, as usual, it was pretty awful - but always fun to get a review of the year!!  I'm feeling optimistic!!

Thanks for reading and I hope your predictions were better than mine!

PS...Since it's the Holiday season, here's a link to my annual golf shopping recommendations post...
http://www.hopejoygolf.com/holiday-gift-ideas-for-golfers.html​