6 BIG PREDICTIONS for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in 2023...

If you sat down this time last year and wrote down a list of predictions for what was ahead, you'd have done well to achieve more than two green ticks.

Phil Mickelson got the ball rolling in February with his infamous "scary motherf****r" interview with Alan Shipnuck, an interview which almost brought down the house on LIV Golf before it began.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler was in the process of becoming World No.1 for the first time. The Texan entered February with 0 trophies, but after his victory at The Masters in April, he was a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and on top of the world pile.

The LIV Golf Tour began at the start of June at Centurion Golf Club near London. Charl Schwartzel nearly banked $5 million for winning a single golf tournament.

Later that month, Matt Fitzpatrick won the US Open at Brookline in dramatic fashion, the scene of his victory at the US Amateur in 2013. Both he and caddie Billy Foster won their maiden major championship.

You would've done well to predict that Cameron Smith would make the controversial switch to LIV Golf days after winning The 150th Open Championship at the home of golf.

Unfortunately, you may have predicted that Rory McIlroy wouldn't win a major title in 2022, a guess that has come true since the start of 2015. He looked destined for glory at St Andrews in July before Smith's putter got hot.

Tiger Woods played in three major championships. His mere ability to tee it up three times, let alone make the cut at Augusta National, was a triumph in itself.

Woods and McIlroy, along with the PGA Tour, have worked together to form TGL. This is a new tech-infused golf league which will begin on Monday nights at primetime in 2024.

The PGA Tour and the DP World Tour extended their strategic alliance until 2035, allowing a clear pathway for European players to America. The DP World Tour has also started alliances with the respective professional golf tours of Japan, Korea and India.

LIV Golf began an alliance of its own with the little-known MENA Tour of the Middle East and North Africa. This relationship was started in a bid to gain Official World Golf Ranking points, but the application is still under review.

Oh, and amongst all that, 11 players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour after the commissioner Jay Monahan sanctioned suspensions on those who moved to the Saudi-backed series.

Only three players remain as part of the lawsuit. The trial is meant to begin in 2024 and both sides have been haggling over discovery evidence and what can and can't be included in the trial.

I could go on, but we want to give our predictions for 2023. Some may come close, some may not. We can say with certainty that there are plenty more surprises and shocking stories on the way.

A LIV Golf player will win a major...

Although the PGA Tour still boast all but one of the signatures of the world's top 20 players, LIV Golf recruited some of the most talented players in the game such as Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Joaquin Niemann.

Johnson won The Masters in 2020 and of course, Smith is the current Claret Jug-holder. The Australian has also made three top-10 finishes at Augusta National.

If a major winner was to come from Greg Norman's ranks, you'd assume it would be one of these two. They have current form and pedigree on the biggest stage.

A men's major winner from South Korea...

South Korea is currently blessed with two of the most exciting golfers in the sport. Tom Kim and Sungjae Im showed this with two scintillating displays at the Presidents Cup.

The pair has four Tour wins between them and is just cumulatively 44 years old. Kim has only been let loose in four majors in his short career so far, while Im finished tied second at The Masters behind Dustin Johnson in 2020.

K.H. Lee and Si Woo Kim make up the foursome of players from South Korea in the world's top 100 who also represent big chances for the nation to have its first major winner since Y.E. Yang in 2009.

Greg Norman will be replaced as LIV Golf commissioner...

In November, James Corrigan of the Telegraph reported that LIV Golf was considering Mark King, the former CEO of TaylorMade, as the new commissioner in a move that would see Norman move upstairs.

LIV managing director Majed Al Sorour and Norman himself have completely denied this rumour. The two-time major champion has stated that he wasn't going anywhere.

Both Woods and McIlroy have called for Norman to leave and even Smith has previously admitted Norman can come across as "a little abrasive."

Sahith Theegala will FINALLY win on the PGA Tour...

Sahith Theegala has emerged as one of the most exciting talents on the circuit, but each time the 25-year-old has been in contention, he has come up short.

He found the water on the 71st hole in the final round of the WM Phoenix Open which cost him dearly at TPC Scottsdale and he double-bogeyed the final hole at the Travelers Championship with victory in sight too.

Theegala also finished tied second at the RSM Classic in November, his latest disappointment. 2023 will surely be the year Theegala breaks his duck on Tour and makes a push for the US Ryder Cup side.

Tiger Woods will play in all four major championships...

Tiger Woods played in three majors in 2022. He made the cut at The Masters, withdrew from the USPGA Championship after 54 holes at Southern Hills and couldn't quite achieve the fairytale at The Open at his favourite course.

The 47-year-old had to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge in December due to a case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, a significant reminder of how his injuries can return even months after surgery.

However, with a carefully coordinated schedule in 2023 and effective rehabilitation in between, four major appearances could certainly be realistic for one of the most mentally strong athletes we have ever seen.

No more top signings for LIV Golf...

As much criticism as the LIV Golf Tour has had since its inception, they have undoubtedly attracted some of the most recognisable players on the planet with lucrative, multi-million dollar fees.

However, after looking up and down the top 40 players in the OWGR, Norman and his colleagues may struggle to recruit more top names that can increase their stock.

The core of Smith, Johnson, Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed is strong, but many other players who have remained loyal have been vocal in their support for the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour and their angst against the new league.