Rizzi’s 9 Predictions for 2013

By Jon Rizzi

From Tiger’s turnaround to Peyton’s place on a golf magazine cover, editor Jon Rizzi crystal-balls the coming year.

“There’s a golf channel?”

Thus responded a rather worldly woman to my casual mention of the 18-year-old golf cable network during a recent dinner party. It served to remind me that not everyone is as immersed in the game as I am—and I don’t even consider my immersion that deep. But it’s deep enough for me to make some predictions for the coming year.

1. Tiger Woods will win at least one major. It will come either at the U.S. Open at Merion or at the Open Championship at Muirfield. Neither Augusta nor Oak Hill (site of this year’s PGA) has been kind to him of late. Polarizing though he is, golf is more exciting to watch when Tiger plays well—just like college football is better when Notre Dame is up; ditto baseball with the New York Yankees.

2. Rory McIlroy will continue to dominate. He will win at least one major, maybe two. His game is that complete—especially the mental part—and if he gets engaged to fellow elite athlete Caroline Wozniacki, that will only help.

3. Justin Rose, Ian Poulter or Luke Donald will win a major. Did you know no Englishman has won one since Sir Nick Faldo took the Masters from Greg Norman in 1996?

4. Stacy Lewis and the U.S. women won’t choke away the 2013 Solheim Cup the way the U.S. men did the 2012 Ryder Cup. The event, which takes place at Colorado Golf Club, could feature one of the strongest U.S. squads ever.

5. Colorado will land a national event. In the six years since The International disappeared from the PGA Tour schedule, Colorado has hosted four national events. And the next two years will bring the Solheim Cup to Colorado Golf Club and the BMW Championship to Cherry Hills. While it’s late to be thinking about landing a 2015 tournament, a 2016 event could likely be announced this year.

6. An amateur will win one of the three HealthONE Colorado Opens.There’s one in the hunt every year. It’s time one broke through. It’s been 18 years on the men’s side, six on the women’s, and no amateur has won the Senior Open since Hall of Famer John Olive won the inaugural tournament.

7. The University of Denver and University of Colorado women’s golf teams will reach the NCAA championships. Call it a hunch, but both teams are solid enough to do it.

8. A Colorado product will win an event on the PGA, LPGA or Champions Tour. On the PGA Tour, it’ll either be Martin Laird or Kevin Stadler. LPGA rookies Stephanie Sherlock or Kimberly Kim could shock the world. And seniors Mark Wiebe and Gary Hallberg are poised to return to the winner’s circle.

9. Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning appears on the cover of Colorado AvidGolfer. Heck, we’d take him even if he’s not named MVP.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com. Jon Rizzi is the founding editor and co-owner of this regional golf-related media company producing magazines, web content, tournaments, events and the Golf Passport.