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2008 Predictions
With the 2007 golf season basically wrapped up and looking forward to 2008, and the new season I cannot help but think about what to expect in the coming year. Here are some predictions as to what I think might happen in 2008.
I can’t wait for 2008 to start. It is going to be a great year and if any of what I said comes true I will be totally amazed, as I am the furthest thing from a psychic. Like the rest of you I love golf, and this is my way to get through the off season thinking about the next year and all of the headlines that will become the water cooler talk of the year coming. I wish you all a happy and healty holiday season.
- FedEx Cup – It will be better than the first version, but some more underlying issues will surface and more refinement will be required to make it the season ending event that the PGA tour is hoping for. Would love to see 10 million in cash on a table behind 18 green, just like the World Series of Poker.
- PGA Tour – Look for another great year of golf on the PGA Tour. There are emerging talents, young and old as well as a very strong international contingent, all helping to make the competition as strong as it has been, arguably in the history of the game. Tiger will have another great year; the big question is who will challenge him? Phil? Ernie? Vijay? Or some new up and comer, maybe Jason Day?
- LPGA Tour – Look for a continuation of the late year battle between Ochoa and Petterson. It is shaping up to be a rivalry that the LPGA Tour needs, and if you can throw Pressel, Gulbis, Creamer, Stacy P, Lincicome, and Annika (if she can return to her dominant form) in the mix, that would be a recipe for some great tournaments, majors, and awesome competition to look forward to in ‘08. Ladies golf will continue to grow and become even more popular than in’ 07.
- Drivers – Look for more MOI. Square drivers have seemed to pass the litmus test and are being accepted and used by more and more golfers. I also would not be surprised if we see more in play on tour this year. Just like when the first 400 CC drivers came out and were looked down upon, the square driver was ugly initially and now is gaining acceptance, due in part to its excellent performance and technology. A driver tends to look a lot better when you are in the fairway all day, regardless if it looks like gopher masher.
- Putters – Just like drivers, ugly putters tend to stick around if they perform and win on the tours, and there will always be a place in the market for the classic designs. Look for more exotic inserts, materials, graphite shafts and shaft options, wild color grips, crazy head covers, and flashy designs. The emergence of boutique putter companies that offer custom “tour quality” putters for a fraction of the price will continue to prosper. Why spend 3 hundy on a production putter when you can spend close to the same and get a putter that fits you, your stroke, and setup, get a few stamps on there, your initials, and maybe “Proto” or “Hand Made”, pretty cool if you ask me. Tour treatment for a fraction of the price.
- Wedges – Aside from the emergence of the custom wedge market with companies like Chikara, and Scratch, there is not much to report here. There are rumors of a Vokey custom shop that if true, will be huge and I am sure people will be going crazy like with the Cameron Custom Shop. There are some great options out there in the wedge department, and now you have the high end custom wedge market emerging as well. Great time to be in the market for some new wedges.
- Irons – Nothing super new to report here. You will have your normal influx of new game improvement irons and some forged cavity backs and blades for the better players. Same stuff new year, just with some new colors, badges, and slightly modified designs.
- John Daly – I sure hope that he gets his game in shape this year. JD is one of the good guys, although he comes with some demons. He means well, does a ton for charity, but can be a train wreck at times. I see a big year for JD, maybe even a victory. Keep after it my man, I am pulling for you.
- Tiger Woods – 2 majors, 6 tour wins, and 1 world golf championship. That should be a stock year for the world’s number 1. He is playing what he is required to play in. His life is in order, his priorities are in order, and he played some really amazing golf this past year. Why would 2008 be any different? Maybe Jason Day will change that? (sorry could not resist)
- Q School Grads – Tommy Gainey, is he going to cash in on the Big Break that he earned himself? Looked great in Q school, wish him the best and hope he has a good solid year. Lickliter should have a good year as well. He pretty much dominated the Q School the first three rounds then cruised to victory. He will get into a ton of events and if he plays like he did there, he might even win one. Great playing by a great guy.
- Majors – Tiger will win the US Open, and the PGA. Ernie Els will win the Masters, and the Open Championship is going to Sergio Garcia.
- Senior Tour – Look for Fred Funk, Loren Roberts, and Jay Haas to continue to do big things on the Senior Tour. Nick Price will regain his form and show why he used to be the best player in the world.
- USGA – Allowing the interchangeability of shafts. Amended to allow forms of adjustability other than weight adjustment. Cool idea and opens up the flood gates for fitting options. Shaft companies are super excited as now people can just have a few different shafts for the driver head that they like.
- Who to look out for in 2008 – Tiger Woods, what kind year will he have? Morgan Pressel, US Open is hers, a make up for the random hole out last year. Zach Johnson, can he follow up the Masters victory with another major? Lorena Ochoa, is she ready to dominate like Annika? Jason Day, can he back up his talk? Rory Sabatini, will he have another monster year, and continue to get Tiger fired up? Tim Finchem, did he do enough to fix the Fed Ex Cup? Ernie Els, can he return to the winners circle and challenge Tiger? Nick Flanagan, he dominated the Nationwide and earned a battlefield promotion, can he do the same on the big tour? Phil Mickelson, what can we expect from Butch’s new star pupil? Vijay, is he done chasing Tiger? Suzanne Peterson, can she follow up her break out season?
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Dan
Dec 12, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Appreciate the comments, and as I said in the first paragraph these are “my predictions” and I am not going to be able to fit everything in this article.
Point 1: Causing you to be perturbed by my one dimensional focus. I apologize if I did not include enough european mentions in there. Justin Rose had a great year and he could do big things this year. I did give Sergio the Open, and Ernie Els the Masters. Did you overlook that part?
Point 2: Rory McIlroy. Great young talent. Did not have a section in there about the European tour, as I don’t really know that much about it or the players on the circuit. Coverage for that tour is rather lacking here in the states. I wish him the best and I hope that he does great. Did he go through the PGA Tour’s Q School? Oh yeah maybe that is why I did not mention him in that section.
Point 3: Ryder Cup. Going to be a great event, and I wish Europe the best. I hope that the competition is strong and a fun event to watch. I did not have enough time to do research on the Ryder Cup for this year and come up with a prediction.
If you feel that my article did not cover enough of the bases, feel free to write one on your own and then I can pick apart your article for what you failed to include in “your” predictions.
Cheers,
DG
Reginaldo
Dec 12, 2007 at 3:43 am
Hm – I appreciate that this is an American article but even still I am a little perturbed by it’s it’s one-dimensional focus on golf for the coming year. I’d say look out for Justin Rose who has had a superb end of season having spent much of the year on the sidelines with back trouble. As for Q school, there’s a young lad called McIlroy who featured at the Open and qualified for the European Tour by winning enough cash in his first four invitational tournaments after turning pro. He didn’t even have to appear at q school! Finally I notice there is no mention of the Ryder Cup – easy prediction that one I reckon – Europe!