Golf's Storylines for 2011: Tiger's Major Rebound, PGA Tour's Health in the Mix

Back from a short winter nap, the PGA Tour returns to Hawaii this week to start another season, bringing with it an assorted shopping list of questions, needs and challenges.

After play begins Thursday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, the new season will drag out for more than 11 full months. If history tells us anything, the long grind will produce new chapters to old stories, fresh faces, surprise winners, disappointing losers, great shots, miserable meltdowns and a fair share of ambivalence.

And when it is finally over, there will be a handful of stories, players and issues that shape the year and impact 2011's place in golf's history book.

Here's 11 for '11.

1. Tiger Woods -- Old news or a new start?

Woods went winless in 2010, the first shutout of his professional career, because of a number of reasons -- including bad golf.

The swing can be rebuilt. He's done it before. The work with new coach Sean Foley, which began in August, should be ready to pay dividends by the time Woods makes his season debut (probably late this month in San Diego).

But can Woods, who turned 35 last week (Dec. 30), again show the mental toughness and confidence that distinguished him on the way to 14 major championships and almost six consecutive years as the world's No. 1 player?

Woods remains four behind Jack Nicklaus' all-time record of 18 major championships and the march that once seemed destined now makes for a good debate.

Nicklaus won both the Masters and PGA in 1975, the year he turned 35, and went on to collect a total of six after the milestone birthday.

That suggests Woods can ill afford to waste another year.

Prediction: He will not. A fifth green jacket at Augusta in April, multiple tour wins, and eventual Comeback Player of the Year award ends all the knee-jerk talk about a career lost.

2. Where are the majors?

No matter what the PGA Tour has added to its season in an effort to broaden appeal -- namely World Golf Championship events and the $10 million FedEx Cup playoff bonus -- golf fans continue to see the game's four majors as a season's yardstick of greatness.

After the Masters at Augusta National, this year's U.S. Open will be played at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C., while the British Open returns to Royal St. George in Sandwich, England, and the PGA makes another stop at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

Where that all leads is a hard guess.

Defending Masters champ Phil Mickelson has won three of the last seven green jackets, compared to only one by Woods during that time. Another Masters win and Phil equals the four titles owned by Woods and Arnold Palmer -- both two back of Nicklaus' six.

In 1997, the last time the U.S. Open was played outside the nation's capital, Ernie Els won his second of two U.S. Opens and three major championships. When the British was last at Royal St. George in 2003, Ben Curtis was the surprise winner. And when the PGA returns to Atlanta Athletic Club, it will be remembered for 2001, when David Toms beat Mickelson by one shot.

Prediction: Tiger wins Augusta, Lee Westwood earns his first major at Congressional, Rory McIlroy conquers the British and Hunter Mahan takes the PGA.

3. Is Lee Westwood the "1"?

England's Lee Westwood replaced Woods as the world' No. 1 ranked player in late 2010 and quickly won the Nedback Challenge in South Africa by eight shots to validate his new and lofty perch.

Now, comes the tough part. Staying there.

Prediction: Woods held the No. 1 ranking for almost six seasons straight. Those days are gone. Before the season is over, there will be at least four different players who exchange the No. 1 ranking.

4. Does the PGA Tour have good health?

That's yet to be decided.

Network television contracts expired after this year and the PGA Tour isn't going to like what it hears during negotiations.

TV ratings have dropped and the economy continues to struggle, so advertising is down and Tiger Woods no longer makes every tournament appearance special.

But there are positive signs, like General Motors climbing back on board by putting Cadillac's name on Doral.

Prediction: The days of ever-increasing tournament purses may be on hold, but tour commissioner Tim Finchem has shown a knack for staying ahead of the curve. There are no work stoppages in golf.

5. What's with Anthony Kim?

The 25-year-old from Los Angeles has big game and an even bigger reputation as pro golf's party animal.

Kim won his third career title early last season in Houston but was soon sidelined by thumb surgery. When he finally returned, the old game wasn't there.

The reason might well have been the lingering injury. Or, according to some critics, it might be the result of more partying than practice.

Kim will answer that with this season's play.

Prediction: If you had Kim's game and future, you'd party, too. Big season ahead.

6. Did the young guns bring enough ammo?

As long as anyone can remember, a new host of promising newcomers arrive on the PGA Tour and are proclaimed the future force of the game. This time, it might really have happened.

Rickie Fowler, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Sean O'Hair, Louis Oosthuizen, Jeff Overton, Kim and McIlroy are all under 30 and ... very, very good.

Prediction: Every one of them will win somewhere in the world this year.

7. What's with the old guys?

Fred Couples was the new face on the Champions Tour last year and did his part to make the senior circuit interesting.

This year's rookie class may not produce the same impact as Fred, but it does bring some additional firepower.

Mark Brooks (March 25), John Huston (June 1), and Brad Faxon (Aug. 1) turn 50 this year.

Prediction: They will still be chasing Bernhard Langer.

8. Any rookies with impact?

Jamie Lovemark, who will turn 23 on Jan. 23, arrives from the Nationwide Tour with huge expectations. Ben Miller, fresh out of Clemson where he was all-ACC for three years, finished third at qualifying school.

Prediction: Any sudden impact by this rookie class seems doubtful.

9. Do these names still have games?

Ernie Els (41), Retief Goosen (41), Padraig Harrington (39) and Vijay Singh (47) have each won at least two majors. But only Els (Doral and Bay Hill) managed a tournament victory in 2010.

Are their days on the leaderboard mostly gone?

No, but it's sane to suggest they will be fewer and farther between. It would be not be surprising to see all four of the goldie oldies win on tour in 2011, but another major would be shocking.

Prediction: Els and Goosen both contend at the U.S. Open, but fall back on the final day.

10. What will Phil do?

Nobody does drama better than Phil Mickelson.

Last year he won the Masters and had numerous chances to claim the world No. 1 ranking he has never enjoyed. But he never capitalized, announced a battle with arthritis and went vegetarian.

This year he'll begin the season in Abu Dhabi.

Prediction: He's Phil. He'll win, lose and everything else in between.

11. Who breaks through?

Want to impress friends with your foresight? Then predict big things for Jeff Overton. Now.

It's hard to have six top 10s and played on the U.S. Ryder Cup team and received less notice than Overton did in 2010. But the sixth-year tour player from Indiana is too skilled, too strong and too tough to go overlooked much longer.

Prediction: Another tournament win, a move into the world ranking's top 25 and a spot of the U.S. Presidents Cup team.