The PGA Tour is now underway but there is still a long way to go. Some of the expectations appear to be on course while others and a few big name golfers aren’t yet on track to find the fruition of those expectations. There is up and coming players, comeback players and even some rules that have everyone curious about how this season is going to go. One thing is for certain… it will be full of twists, turns and more than a few thrills and surprises before it is all said and done.

Let’s start with looking at the games highest prized assets, the golfers…

The Players

The onslaught of hot new talent is now the reigning power on the PGA Tour. Names like Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroyare now some the of the new, top-ranked talent expected at the top of leaderboards in 2018. One thing 2018 may be remembered for is the official passing of the torch from one generation to the next. That doesn’t mean, however, that the last great wave of golf talent can be forgotten. Familiar names like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio Garcia among others may have something to say about that.

Don’t be surprised either if we find one or two unknown’s who make a splash on the PGA scene, it seems every year we have one or two of those players who we can all root for… but there is more to the PGA than just the players.

Rule Changes in 2018 Season

While the long-putter or “body” putter ruling was big, there are some rule changes in 2018 that could have an immediate impact on any given tournament. Although the “official” golf rules update doesn’t come out until 2019, the USGA has opted to utilize the “local rules” guidelines which permit clubs to adopt the changes instantly. One such change is penalty strokes assessed with incorrect scorecards. One report regarding the adoption of this new rule under the “Local Rules” clause, announced that players will no longer be given a two-stroke penalty for signing cards when that player was unaware of an infraction.

The USGA and PGA have also moved quickly to strike the viewer call-in considerations for reviewing penalties. 2018 will now feature the use of video with one official assigned to the task of video review and judgment in such situations. These changes are only a forerunner for the biggest set of rule changes to-date that will become official next season. Meanwhile, the young guns and not-so-young guns are in full-swing as the 2018 season enters the second half…

The 2018 Early Season Recap

We were recently reminded that this new class of young golf talent may also be as deep as we’ve ever seen when Brooks Koepka won the ’18 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. While his name may not be quite as recognizable yet, we’ve seen already seen flashes of brilliance from Koepka which could mean more to come. Currently 11th in the World Rankings as of this writing, Patrick Reed locked up the first major of the year, winning the Masters at famed Augusta. Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas continue to battle for the top two spots in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Bubba Watson also has several wins already on the year and Justin Rose has notched two wins and 7 top 10 finishes and nobody will be surprised if current number 5 in the FedEx standing, Jason Day, makes a charge and some noise during the second half. The second half of the year looks to be even more entertaining than the first and PGA fans should strap in because this could be a fight to the end.

For the Love of Golf

We watch because we love the game… and these guys really are good. We play because we love the game, even though we aren’t that good – and that is also why we are here, “for the love of golf.” If you have any golfing needs from equipment and fitting to instruction, contact us. We understand your passion and your love of the game because we have it too!