2016 Major Winners and Players Champion Predictions

1. The Masters: Rory McIlroy

(Thomas J. Russo, USA Today Sports)

Yes, Rory McIlroy will complete his career grand slam next month at just 26 years old. Five Top-25's in seven starts at Augusta, including back-to-back Top 10s the last two years.  And we can’t forget that infamous 2011 tournament in which he started the final round with a four-shot lead and proceeded to shoot 80 to fall out of contention.  Plain and simple, McIlroy knows this golf course and his game suits it well, as his ability to hit it long and shape it right-to-left provides the ideal combination.  After coming off his best career Masters finish in 2015, McIlroy will most definitely be hungry for that elusive Green Jacket and should make a significant run at it.

2. The Players Championship: Jordan Spieth

(USA Today Sports Images)

I wasn’t too sure of who I liked at TPC Sawgrass this year but for some reason Spieth kept coming back to me.  The 2015 Player of the Year got off to a fast start this year with his win in Hawaii, but has seemed to cool down by his standards as of late.  Still, as we saw last year, Spieth can get red-hot at any moment and The Players Championship would be a great time to do so.  I view Spieth’s missed cut at last year’s event as a fluke since it was sandwiched between two major wins, and a Top-5 at the 2014 tournament should still remain in the back of his mind.  Spieth and his caddie have a relationship unlike any other on tour, and their ability to think their way around golf courses should give them an edge at such a mentally challenging course as TPC Sawgrass.  Pair that with Spieth’s accuracy and ability to make big putts when he needs to and he should find himself deep within the mix on Sunday afternoon.

3. The U.S. Open: Jason Day

(Getty Images)

I love going with Jason Day at Oakmont this year.  Coming off his first major victory last summer at the PGA Championship, Day only continued to solidify an already tremendous major career, notching his tenth Top-10 major finish.  In just five U.S. Open starts, Day has collected FOUR Top-10s, THREE of which were in the Top-5, and TWO of which were runner-up finishes.  Day, at just 28 years old, seems to play well on golf’s biggest stages, and has proved he can work his way around challenging courses like Oakmont.  With his ability to hit the long ball and carry his irons as high as anyone on tour, Day should be able to gain an advantage over the field in terms of length and precision on approach shots into Oakmont’s tricky greens.

4. The Open Championship: Rickie Fowler

(Uncredited/Associated Press)

This is the year Rickie breaks through with his first major victory and Royal Troon seems like a very ideal place for him to do so.  First of all let’s go back to 2010 when Fowler played pretty well at the Ryder Cup in Europe. Fast forward to 2014 when Fowler became just the THIRD player in PGA Tour history to finish Top-5 in all four majors.  (The other two? Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods).  Last season Fowler won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, proving that he could not only compete at a high level on a links style course but also win on one.  Fowler’s stock is only continuing to climb and it should reach an apex this summer in Scotland.

5. PGA Championship: Henrik Stenson

(USATSI)

How does he not have a major yet? Seriously. Stenson has cemented himself as one of the best ball-strikers on tour, and if his putter gets hot that week, watch out.   In his last eight PGA Championship starts, Stenson's finished in the Top-25 six times, including four Top-10s.  Baltusrol will play long, but Stenson has the ability to shorten up longer courses with his piercing ball flight that seems to carry farther than average.   A major victory, particularly a PGA Championship victory, appears to be long overdue for this very consistent player.

The Top 5 Reasons to Get on Board With Bryce Harper in 2016

The Top 5 Reasons to Get on Board With Bryce Harper in 2016

                                         (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Let me preface this by saying I am pro-Bryce Harper, and I wanted to get this out there in reaction to last Thursday's article. However, my opinion seems to contradict the more popular—and much more negative—opinion of him.  He’s a douchebag, he’s cocky, and he’s a disgrace to baseball.  The list goes on and on.  Regardless, he is one of the most exciting young players in the game today and is necessary for its growth.  Whether you are a fan of Bryce Harper or strongly dislike him, you have to respect the career he has put together in just four seasons.  That being said, no matter which side of the fence you may find yourself, these are, in my opinion, the five most convincing reasons you will find to get on board the Harper train in 2016.

5. He is still just a kid.

23 years old.  23 years old.  23 years old.

23 years old and already entering his FIFTH Major League season.  That’s insane.  Not to mention the 3 All-Star appearances, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, and MVP trophy he’s collected since getting called up as a 19 year old.  Harper plays beyond his years, and seems to be anything but afraid to compete with the best of the best players in the world, let alone rise above them.  Like him or not, he is quickly becoming the face of the MLB and at just 23 years old he hasn’t even begun to peak.

4. His swing is a work of art.

Tune in to a Nationals game one time for me this season, even if it’s just to catch one of Harper’s at-bats and try your hardest not to be impressed.  You’ll fail.  Smooth, with an explosive lower body that rotates incredibly fast.  This helps him to produce possibly the most bat speed out of anyone. Seriously. The only one who might have quicker hands is Andrew McCutchen. Maybe. Harper is certainly not built like Miguel Cabrera or Giancarlo Stanton, but his fluid yet violent swing allows him to generate as much power as anyone in the game.

3. He is not the person everyone thinks he is.

Unlike how he often appears in the media, Harper is actually a good guy. According to those who are close to him, he is polite, generous, and doesn’t drink due to his Mormon religion.  Most importantly, he plays the game the way his father instructed him to do so, “to not take the game for granted.”  All of this has led Harper to possess a work ethic that rivals anyone in the league, translating energy off the field into his preparation in the gym.  What may fly under the radar to many people though is his acceptance of his abilities and limitations.  He does not try to be something that he is not.

2. His hustle is unparalleled.

You WON’T find Bryce Harper sauntering over to catch a fly ball only to have it fall five feet in front of him.  You WILL find him running full speed into a wall to catch a ball or completely lay out in the gap.  He plays the game right and leaves it all out on the field.  Whether it’s just his young instinct still inside him or his needing to prove himself even further, Harper puts forth a consistent effort.

1. He’s lived up to the hype.

This is the big one.  All throughout his teenage years Harper was being watched by many in the baseball world, and often dubbed the next MLB superstar.  Case and point, if he hasn’t done so already, he’s pretty damn close to being just that.  What often discourages people is seeing high draft picks fizzle out, especially first overall picks like Harper.  Needless to say he hasn’t shown any signs of fizzling out. Baseball has its next young superstar along with Mike Trout, and his ability to perform how everyone projected him to at the highest level, in just his early twenties, should be impressive to anyone.