Predicting professional golf’s next move is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Difficult.
2023 has been a busy year setting up a pulsating 2024 with new schedules and new stars to follow.
LIV Golf has completed its first full season, the PGA Tour has shown us its signature hand and Tiger Woods is back.
There is still work to be done with the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund, as well as LIV Golf’s quest for OWGR legitimacy.
The DP World Tour will enter a new realm with a new-look circuit and even more prize money, but how will it cope after giving away top talent to the PGA Tour?
Ahead of the new year, we have earmarked the biggest storylines you should be following when January 1 ticks over.
Best golf news stories to follow in 2024:
Which players could still move to LIV Golf?
Players from the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour could still move to LIV Golf.
Jon Rahm completed his groundbreaking move to the Saudi-funded tour on December 7. If Rahm can be turned, then who could be next?
In October, Phil Mickelson said “there’s a lot of players” who want to be part of the league, while Bubba Watson also revealed he’s received messages from players interested in transferring.
Reports suggested Tony Finau could’ve joined Rahm before he confirmed his loyalty to the PGA Tour, while Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton have also been linked with switches.
Will the PGA Tour actually sign a deal with the Public Investment Fund?
The deadline of December 31 is looming, and the PGA Tour is yet to cement the framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund.
With the tour exploring other routes with potential private equity partners, the deal between the, until now, rival parties appears to be in jeopardy.
Will Tiger Woods play in the majors?
Woods braved the brutal conditions at the 2023 Masters until he could no more. He’d played seven holes of the third round before he called time on his week at Augusta.
After further surgery, it is yet to be seen if the 15-time major champion will make a comeback down Magnolia Lane in April, or at any of the other three majors in 2024.
However, Woods was gleaming with positivity after his displays at this year’s Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship.
He wants to play once a month on the PGA Tour, an exciting prospect indeed, but while still coping with his injuries sustained in a car crash in 2021, we may want to temper our expectations.
Who will be named the next US Ryder Cup captain?
Being the Ryder Cup captain is much more than one week in September. They begin preparation almost two years in advance from the moment their name is signed on the dotted line.
Zach Johnson and Henrik Stenson were respectively announced as captains 19 months and 18 months before the event at Marco Simone before Donald replaced Stenson after the Swede moved to LIV Golf.
Donald kept his spot in 2025, so who will America look to wrestle the cup back at Bethpage?
We have taken a look through the candidates looking to replace ZJ.
Will LIV Golf earn world ranking points?
LIV Golf’s application for Official World Golf Ranking points was rejected in October.
Therefore the stars on Greg Norman’s roster will continue to plummet unless the Saudi-funded series addresses the shortcomings stated by the board.
Will LIV rectify the situation and finally earn what they’ve always craved in 2024?
How will the DP World Tour’s new PGA Tour card-holders play in America?
The top 10 players from the Race to Dubai rankings, who weren’t already exempt, have earned cards to the PGA Tour.
Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Sami Valimaki, Robert MacIntyre, Alexander Bjork, Jorge Campillo, Thorbjorn Olesen, Ryo Hisatsune and Matthieu Pavon have all earned their US stripes.
NCG understands these players will be eligible for all full-field events in 2024, but would have to play their way into Signature Events unless they received sponsor’s exemptions.
Can any of them make a splash in the States next season?
Which PGA Tour-LIV Golf news story will blow up in 2024? Tell us on X!
The post What next? Storylines to follow in professional golf in 2024 appeared first on National Club Golfer.
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