In the spirit of the season, in particular the song All I Want For Christmas, this is my personal wish, want and hope list for the PGA Tour.

First and foremost, I want the PGA Tour to be able to continue with large galleries. Beginning with the PGA Championship, the PGA capped crowds at 10,000 per day. Who will ever forget the final day of the tournament in May when Phil Mickelson (Callaway Chrome Soft X) was engulfed by a crowd as made his way to the green on the final hole and capped it off with a win – maybe one of the biggest of his career? It certainly provided a visual presentation of how a crowd can make a huge difference in a return to some kind of normalcy once the COVID-19 pandemic started to slow down. Sadly, we are living in a world of unknowns. Seeing packed crowds at the PGA Tour really added that vital element that is part of the sport. Seeing tournaments played with little to no fans is hollow, but hard decisions have to be made for purposes of safety and health.

Speaking of health, for Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B Xs) I wish for him to continue to make strides in his physical recovery from the car accident that damaged both his legs. Ultimately it will be up to Tiger when – and more importantly if – he feels he is ready to play in a PGA tournament.

For Mickelson (Callaway Chrome Soft X), I wish for him to record another win on the tour. I don’t think anything will replicate his victory in the PGA Championship and frankly he has nothing to prove, but he has become such a supporter of golf and not just specifically his personal game. But maybe Santa already gave Lefty his wish seven months ahead of time.

For Brooks Koepka (Srixon-Z Star Prototype), continued success with his brand switch from Titleist Pro V1x. I also wish him health, but more particular I wish he would smile a little more. I get that you’ve got to be dialed in and serious, but Koepka seems to have a perpetual scowl. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He doesn’t need to be Happy Gilmour.

For his “buddy” Bryson DeChambeau (Bridgestone Tour B X), I wish he wins a tournament going wire to wire or finishes strongly to win. That’s what I feel is missing from his game – finishing strongly on a regular basis. And I hope all the controversy that he brings upon himself starts to die down. Then again, maybe a little controversy is okay. Like the lyric from the song Without Me by Eminem, “now this looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, 'cause we need a little controversy, 'cause it feels so empty without me.” Bet you never thought you’d read either about Eminen and/or one of his songs in a golf blog.

For Steve Stricker (Titleist Pro V1x), well, I guess his wish came true when he captained the U.S. team to victory in the Ryder Cup in his home state of Wisconsin. Santa also came through for him before the rest of the world.

For Viktor Hovland (Titleist Pro V1), the hottest player early in the 2021-22 season, I want him to win one of the majors. He looks so dialed in right now.

For Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1), I wish/want/hope for his first win on the PGA Tour.

For all followers of the PGA Tour – and anyone reading my weekly blog – may you receive a dozen of your favorite balls, a hole-in-one if you’ve never had one, the round of your life and, most importantly, quality time with your family and/or friends. For this time of the year and with the world battling the latest COVID variant, family and friends are all what really matters.