What was I thinking? (Crystal Golf Ball 2011)

Posted Dec 18 2011, 10:31 PM by Cathy Erickson
Ah December, while we're now in a little bit of a break time for PGA Tour players, the rest of us (or maybe just me) are running around trying to get all of our holiday "to do" lists done.  But December is also the time for me to check back on my yearly predictions and see how I did - I'm sure there's going to be a few laughs (it's official, I did after reading them!), some head shakes, and hopefully some cheering...I honestly didn't remember some of my predictions so this should be fun!  I hope I got SOMETHING right!

I will start again with the Majors...and it seems appropriate to make my first prediction my heart pick of the year...Steve Stricker is going to win the Masters!  I love the magic of Augusta and I love Stricker, so I think this is prediction made in golf heaven.  Stricker will also win at least one other event this year.
 
Alright, so Stricker didn't win the Masters, but he did finish T11, so I feel like this might be a preview for 2012.  But I was correct that Stricks did win at least one other time...actually 2 times - with the Memorial and the John Deere.  And might I add that I'm SO excited they finally updated his photo on www.pgatour.com.
 
The US Open is a test of patience and endurance, and this year I think Dustin Johnson is going to seal the deal.
 
Well, the best DJ could do was a T23 and Rory McIlory blasted the field, winning by 8 strokes.
 
The British Open field has all kinds of unknown players to me, but I'm thinking that Martin Kaymer is going to rise above the rest this year and take his 2nd Major title.
 
Darren Clarke's win at Royal St. George's was a feel good story for 2011 and my prediction, Kaymer did his best and finished T13. (Hey, at least my picks have made the cut so far!)
 
The PGA Championship is my back up Major for Stricker, but I happen to think you will see Luke Donald as your champion
 
Keegan Bradley wasn't even on my radar at the beginning of the year, and it was a great battle.  Donald, who had an epic year world-wide, finished T8.
 
Matt Kuchar will win the Players Championship (you didn't think I'd forget Matt, did you?) - he will also break into the top 10 in the OWGR at some point this year.   2011 Money title?  Okay, sure!  Go Matt!!
 
Okay, not a great pick here...Kuchar made the cut, but finished T54.  KJ Choi found his groove and beat David Toms in a playoff hole.  But Matt DID finally break into the top 10 on the OWGR and actually finished right in the 10 spot at the end of this season - while he wasn't the official money winner, he did finish a respectable 6th place with no individual wins in 2011.
 
Graeme McDowell will win the Tour Championship, but he will not win the FedEx Cup.  That title will go to Phil Mickelson.
 
Okay, awful prediction here...McDowell didn't even make it Atlanta, and Phil finished 15th on the FedEx cup list.  The winner of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup was Bill Haas...Haas had an amazing par save on the 17th hole out of the hazard and finally won after 3 playoff holes against Hunter Mahan.  Haas beat out Webb Simpson for the FedEx title by just 15 points.
 
I don't know what is going on with Justin Leonard, but I will give him one last spot on my predictions list to get his golf act together and start playing some inspired golf!  Leonard will win in 2011 (and if he doesn't he's off my list!).
 
Dang you Justin!  Leonard did not win in 2011, but he did finish 2nd at the Children's Miracle Network which makes me think maybe something clicked late in the season...Leonard only made 14 of 25 cuts and only had 1 top ten.  I guess he'll be off my prediction list for 2012, and I'm sure that will mean a win for him!
 
Bubba Watson will also win again in 2011 (he makes a great winner!), and so will Zach Johnson (maybe at the Sony!).
 
Thank you again Bubba!!  Bubba wins 2 times in 2011...although surprisingly he only finished 16th on the Tour money list.  Zach tried his best to take home the Chevron, but alas, he was winless in 2011.
 
Phil Mickelson will win 3 times this year and at some point in 2011 he will be the number 1 ranked player in the world.
 
Whoops.  I guess I got a little over zealous with my Phil expectations in 2011...Phil did win 1 time (at the Shell Houston) and did have 2 second place finishes so it wasn't like he didn't have his chances.  Mickelson had finished 4th on the OWGR at the end of 2010 and the best he could do in 2011 was 3rd the week after the Shell...he's actually at 14th as of last week.
 
Lee Westwood will come close in all the Majors but will not win one.  He will also be winless on the US PGA Tour.
 
YES...both right!  Well, mostly...Westwood finished 11th at the Masters, 3rd at the US Open, and 8th at the PGA, but missed the cut at the British...his majors were also his best finishes in his 10 starts on the PGA Tour in 2011...don't forget Westwood announced he will be a PGA Tour member in 2012!
 
Two surprise winners will be Vaughn Taylor and David Duval.  And let's throw in Ricky Barnes as a winner, too!
 
Oh boy...not my best work here...not only did Taylor and Duval not win in 2011 both had to head back to Q-school this month...Taylor was successful, but Duval was not.  Barnes made it just under the wire on the Top125 and only had 2 top 10's in 2011.
 
My favorite Fantasy Golf guy from 2010, Brendon deJonge, will get a win in 2011, but I'm pretty sure it will be a week where I don't pick him!
 
deJonge drove my fantasy golf partner, Drew, and I nuts all year - I kept thinking "THIS week he's going to win"...and he never did.  He had 3 top 10's but never threatened the winner's circle...we finally gave up on him, but we'll see what 2012 brings.
 
Aussies will win 5 times on Tour in 2011 - I'm especially liking Jason Day and Adam Scott.
 
Well, I got a little bold on this prediction...Aussies Scott and Aaron Baddeley did win one time each in 2011, and while there were some close calls by Aussies, the best they could do is 2 times.
 
And as for Tiger, you already know that I don't think he's going to win a Major this year, but I do think he's going to win - maybe the Memorial, or maybe at Doral.  He will also be #1 on the OWGR again sometime in 2011 but he won't be at the end of the year.
 
Well, 2011 wasn't what I thought it was going to be for Tiger Woods...he did win at the Chevron, and I'm counting that as a right guess even though the field was only 18.  TW never recaptured the #1 spot on the OWGR, and just before his win a few weeks ago he had dropped all the way down to 52nd.  His win bounced him up to 21st for 2011 and I'm sure you know there was some "discussion" on how that could be possible.  I give myself a 50/50 on this one!
 
And finally, I predict that I will get a DV-R sometime in 2011 in order to watch golf like 2Putt does.
 
As with many golfers, my year didn't turn out like I thought it might...even if had gotten a DV-R (which I didn't), I would have never been home to watch it...but I have been looking into them now...so maybe 2012!
 
Webb Simpson was not on my radar this year either, and he had an amazing season, forcing Luke Donald to play in Florida in order to take the money title.  Team USA was fun to watch at the President's Cup, and whether you're a fan or not, I think the golf world is happy to see Tiger back in form just in time for 2012.
 
Well, some okay picks, some awful ones and a few that I'm feeling pretty good about...so all in all another fun year in prediction world!  I've got a little PGA Tour fever for 2012 and I'm excited to get back into fantasy golf and to root for my favorite players.  I'll be back in January with some more AMAZING predictions!!
 
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Filed under: Cathy Erickson, Predictions, 2011