Bernard Gallacher’s 2024 golf preview & early Major predictions
It’s that time again!
We sat down with three-time Ryder Cup captain and Golf Care ambassador Bernard Gallacher to chat about what 2024 has in store for the men’s and women’s golf game.
Bernard also gave us his early shouts for the 2024 men’s Major winners. Here’s what he had to say…
Bernard Gallacher
It’s difficult to see 2024 being anything other than a continuation of 2023 as far as golf is concerned.
In my view, the players most likely to dominate on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Victor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa—all of whom are vying for that number-one spot on the World Rankings. And, of course, although Jon Rahm has joined LIV, he’ll still be a dominant force, too.
However, the likes of Tom Kim, Tyrell Hatton and Tommy
Fleetwood all also have the game to reach the very top, and I’m excited to see
more from them.
Of course, money is important to all professional golfers. After all, that’s the business they’re in, but with huge prize funds on offer every week on the PGA Tour, the challenge for the players—especially the top players—is to find a schedule that allows them to win big but also time their performance peaks around the Major calendar. It can be a difficult balancing act, for sure.
The 2024 Majors
It’s not easy these days to predict the Major winners. For example, who would have picked Brian Harman to win The Open or Wyndham Clark to win the US Open in 2023? However…
The Masters
I’m going for Rory McIlroy to win the Masters in 2024
and complete his career Grand Slam.
If he were to do it, he’d join an exclusive club of only
five other golfers in the history of the game to have done so—Gene Sarazen, Ben
Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.
There are no weaknesses in Rory’s game, and if he has a good week on the greens, he can go home with the coveted Green Jacket.
USPGA Championship
The second major of 2024 is the USPGA Championship, from 13-19 May at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
Rory won it the last time it was played here in 2014, so
he’ll be one of the favourites to repeat that success. However, I’m going with Scottie
Scheffler—the 2022 Masters champion—to take the crown this time.
Valhalla is a course I know myself, as it hosted the 2008 Ryder Cup when Nick Faldo’s Europe were beaten 16½ – 11½ by a US team captained by Paul Azinger. It’s a long course with thick rough and fast greens.
The US Open
The 124th US Open is being played at the iconic
Pinehurst Course in North Carolina. Martin Kaymer won when it was last played
here in 2014.
It’s a long course at 7,560 yards, but rather unusually for a US Open course, rough is kept to a minimum with bunkers lining the fairways instead.
The upturned greens are the most difficult feature of this course.
Martin Kaymer’s putting was exceptional when he won, and whoever wins this time
will also need a great week on the greens.
I’m going for Max Homa to win this one.
The Open
The last and oldest of the four Majors is our Open in July,
and 2024’s venue, Royal Troon, is one of my favourite golf courses.
It’s a superb seaside links course on the Ayrshire coast that always produces outstanding winners with its fast, narrow fairways and excellent greens.
Henrik Stenson prevailed the last time the Open was played
here in 2016, after a memorable battle with Phil Mickelson. Past winners here also
include Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia and Justin
Leonard.
My shout for 2024, though, is Tommy Fleetwood.
Women’s golf in 2024
Much like in the men’s game, I don’t expect many surprises
in women’s golf in 2024. I think all the players who did well in 2023 will
continue to do so.
The brilliant Lilia Vu won last year’s British Open at
Walton Heath convincingly by six strokes and finished the year top of the
women’s world rankings. She will continue to dominate.
Others I also admire include:
Céline Boutier, who plays both in the US and Europe. She won the 2023 Evian Championship and has also won six times on the LPGA Tour and five times in Europe.
Former world number one and Olympic gold medallist Nelly Korda is another I like. She has one Major to her name and has represented the US in the Solheim Cup three times.
Minjee Lee. She’s won two Majors, 10 times on the LPGA Tour, and twice in Europe. It clearly runs in the family, too, as her brother, Min Woo Lee, plays on the PGA Tour and recently won the Australian PGA Championship.
Charley Hull also had a great 2023, finishing runner-up in the US Women’s Open and the Women’s British Open at Walton Heath. She plays both on the LPGA Tour and the European Ladies Tour. She’s got the potential to reach the very top.
Canadian Brooke Henderson is another prolific winner on the LPGA Tour with 13 wins, including 2 Majors. Georgia Hall also plays on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. She won the 2018 Women’s Open and has also won twice on the LPGA Tour.
Last but not least, Lydia Ko is another outstanding player, with 19 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two Majors and seven wins in Europe. She was the youngest player to be ranked world number one, at just 17 years old.
So there you have it. Bernard’s gone early with his predictions for 2024. Do you agree with him? Get in touch and let us know!
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