Golf sports and leisure
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OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE x FALL 2016 x obsports.com l TOUR REPORT then plummeted to outside the Top 30 in 2016. We'd love to see renewed focus and better putting from one of the Tour's most popular players. Johnson has finally shaken off the personal issues and putter inconsisten- cies, and has transformed his wedge play from mediocre to superb. The re- sults speak for themselves. A healthy Day is a deserving No. 1, but what we will look for in the new season is whether even a medically sound Day can match the always fearsome power and newfound touch of DJ. When will Tiger return? Johnny Miller nearly got an early Christmas present this year, when Tiger Woods announced his intentions to re- turn to PGA Tour play in mid-October at Napa's Silverado Resort, a property Miller co-owns. Alas, the announce- ment was premature and Woods ulti- mately withdrew from the event. Woods hadn't teed it up in competi- tion since August 2015 at Greensboro, so the first tournament of the year on the PGA Tour's 2016-'17 wraparound schedule figured to be white-hot in media and spectator spotlight. That flame quickly evaporated and the timetable for Woods' return appears to be tenuous at best. The obvious question is, which Tiger will we see when – and if – he returns? Will it be the Tiger that contended at Greensboro and who is now fully re- habbed and healed after several more surgical procedures on his back, or the Tiger who suffered two-way misses and chipping yips early in his 2015 comeback? The answer is anybody's guess. Miller, NBC Golf's lead analyst, of- fers solid perspective. "It's hard being Tiger Woods ... espe- cially if you can't back it up with a semblance of the old Tiger Woods," Miller said. "Everybody expects him to come back ... he's got to break the ice sometime. I hope he picks the right spot." Woods, who also begged off playing in Turkey in early November, is now targeting a return to competitive golf at his own Hero World Challenge in De- cember. Undoubtedly, he'll have high expectations of himself. For the rest of us, it'll just be great to welcome back the man who moves the needle like no one else in golf. Breakout stars Some crystal balls are cloudier than others, but it's always fun shaking it up and then trying to forecast the future. Two years ago in this space, for in- stance, we predicted big things for Hideki Matsuyama (check), Brooks Koepka (mostly a check or even check- plus), Tony Finau (yep, let's give him a check) and Carlos Ortiz (no check for you). For the 2016-'17 season, these are two more names to keep your eyes on. As recently as the summer of 2015, Wesley Bryan was best known for his sideshow antics in one version of golf's traveling circus. The former All-Ameri- can at South Carolina formed one-half of Bryan Bros Golf, a YouTube sensation for "trick shots and awkward celebrations." "It's hard being Tiger Woods ... especially if you can't back it up with a semblance of the old Tiger Woods." – Johnny Miller, after Woods withdrew from Miller's Napa event >>>