The 2005 Season Is So Last Year

The calendar says it’s September, but the majors are long over and the professional golf season still goes on, with 11 more official PGA Tour events still to be played ... and that’s before the Silly Season kicks off with a full month of low-pressure, money-making fun.

It’s not too early to take a sneak peak at 2006, which promises to be an intriguing campaign, and not only because Tiger Woods will actually play it as a 30-year-old. While there may be no true burning questions, there are 10 that are already starting to smolder.

Will Tiger dominate again?

That’s what he did this year, winning two majors, three other tournaments and finishing in the top four for nearly four months during the heart of the season.

Make no mistake: Woods absolutely loved rubbing it in the faces of everyone who questioned the wisdom of rebuilding his swing. He’ll have to figure out a new motivation next year, and there are indications Woods is plotting ways to cut back on his commitments -- he has already dumped the Battle of the Bridges -- and chances are, more is to come.

Can Phil win another?

Phil Mickelson was the people’s choice at Baltusrol, where he won the PGA Championship, his second major title. That leaves only the question whether he’s now in shape to win multiple majors. In his position as people’s choice, he’s expected to do just that.

Michelle Wie: Impact player?

And where? By the time 2006 rolls around, it’s expected that she’s going to be a pro, even though Wie will be only 16. Her father says no decision has been made -- yet -- and Michelle insists she wants to attend Stanford, but she can still do that and play professionally. Her coach, David Leadbetter, believes Wie has the game to be a star on the LPGA Tour and she would need it, competing for money and attention with fellow precocious teens such as

Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer.

Will Davis Love III rebound?

Next year marks the ninth anniversary of Love’s only major title, the 1997 PGA, and he’s running out of time for more. He turns 42 in April, hasn’t won in two years and, so far this year, has missed eight cuts -- his most since 1988 when he missed 13. Love’s big problem this year has been his putting. He ranks 121st. Love hasn’t been completely healthy since 2003, when he won four times and made more money -- $6 million -- than any year of his career.

What’s Annika’s encore?

She has taken everything that hasn’t been nailed down for the last five years on the LPGA Tour and the only thing left is to win all four majors in one year. But Annika Sorenstam turns 35 next month, she’s 26 victories behind Kathy Whitworth and six major titles behind Patty Berg, so catching them won’t be easy and if she decides she doesn’t need the dough, she might start moving toward winding down and pay attention to her personal life.

When will it be Sergio’s time?

There is no doubt that best player who hasn’t won a major is Sergio Garcia, who is still only 25 but hasn’t been able to capitalize on his immense talent while competing for golf’s biggest prizes. The obvious comparison is fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, a prodigy himself, yet Ballesteros had already won the Masters at 23. Best bet to break through in 2006? It could be the PGA when it returns to Medinah, Ill., where in 1999 Garcia was the runner up to Woods by one shot.

Can Carolyn Vesper Bivens keep it going?

She’s the first female commissioner in the 55-year history of the LPGA and is following a tough act in Ty Votaw, who has overseen the organization’s greatest period of growth. Votaw had a law background; Bivens comes from Initiative Media North America, which does media planning and buying. Before that, she was the associate publisher at USA Today, so at the very least, figure better LPGA coverage in at least one publication.

Will Ernie Els be healthy?

He tore his anterior cruciate ligament while on vacation in July and missed the PGA, thus ending a discouraging year for him -- two top 10s since January and a non-factor in the three majors he played.

The ACL is the main stabilizing ligament in the knee and his was repaired using tendons from his hamstring. For a player whose powerful swing is generated from his lower body, such an injury is anything but minor. Els, who turns 36 next month, may have to consider cutting back on his travel-the-world tendencies and adopt a more conservative playing schedule in order to be effective in his 13th year on the PGA Tour.

Who’s the major wild card?

This year, it was Michael Campbell at the U.S. Open, the only non-big name that won a major in a group that featured Woods and Mickelson. So he sort of stood out. But there’s a recent history of such events (see Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, Paul Lawrie). Drawn out of a hat, here’s one possible contender from the long list of the unexpected: Mark Hensby.

Another Ryder Cup defeat?

The U.S. isn’t going to be the favorite over Europe again until it wins this thing, which hasn’t happened since 1999. In fact, the margin of defeat is widening -- the U.S. had its worst loss in history last time. Come next September in Ireland, it’s going to be up to captain Tom Lehman to coax a better effort out of the U.S. players.