Broke100Once

Tiger still got nine top-10s in majors from 2009-2013, and his record pre-2009 obviously speaks for itself. He still has to be considered "most consistent" based on sheer track record. Beyond Tiger, you have the usual suspects of Mickelson, Els, and I'll mention someone like Jim Furyk, who was a high-quality golfer for the last two decades and racked up lots of good finishes in majors, even if he only had the one win.

From October 2016-October 2017, Thomas won six times! How much more 'next level' can he get, multiple majors??

I also made a zero/zero vote. Hard to predict he's actually back until he can prove he can stay healthy over multiple weeks of play. Tiger doesn't need to actually win to make a huge impact on golf in 2018, however. If can be healthy and just be a regular presence, that's a big win for the PGA Tour. If he actually does contend in a big event or a major, that's by itself a gigantic story --- seeing Tiger just battling it out with Spieth, JT, DJ, or the new era would itself make his comeback a success.

A terrible golfer

Spieth is my pick, with Koepka as a dark horse. Koepka's track record in majors is very good, and he's already proven he can win the big one.

This seems like an unnecessarily bold proclamation. The fact that Rory has kept collecting top tens (if only rarely being thick in the hunt) despite not really being in top form over the last three years indicates to me that he could win one almost by accident. If he keeps consistently being near the top of the leaderboard, he could catch a goofy US or British when the rest of the field struggles with a hard course or weather or something. Day is still a bit more up in the air right now since he's in the midst of a 'swing change year,' so we'll have to see how he comes out of it. Wouldn't shock me at all if he returns to his old form in 2018, however. Golfing fortunes can change in a heartbeat. At this time last year, nobody believed Sergio had the mental fortitude to win a major, and there were whispers that Spieth's Masters collapse had broken him for good as an elite player. Dustin Johnson looked to be penciled in for a monster season and then he slipped down the stairs in Augusta. What counts as "dominant" in this post-Tiger world? Not sure what your timeframe was for Rory's future, but that's a 5-10 year stretch where he wins "a major or two and more tournaments," that's pretty darn good. That's close to a HOF resume itself, which would be an incredible second act to an already-superb career.

You're all discounting Zombie Tommy Armour's chances at the Masters next year, huh? He could still surprise you!

I can understand Day and Rory wanting to quickly get back on track after missing the US Open cut, though Day plays in this tournament often anyways.

Do we know who the alternates are? One is already in the field, whomever replaced Ryan Moore. Is alternate #2 (or later, if more people drop out) just waiting with his clubs at the tee, hoping for clear weather and no delays so Phil can't make a miraculous return?

Even if he didn't, I feel the USGA will absolutely give Tiger as many special invitations as he wants if he's able to play. The USGA is usually pretty good about giving past champions at least one extra year, or a special invite if the Open is at that past champion's winning course. In Tiger's case, they'll bend over backwards to get him in the field, as both a three-time champ and as golf's biggest star.

I don't think there's any chance the R&A would do this, but maybe the most logical idea would be to move the British Open to May and the PGA to July. I'm not sure what the weather situation would be like for the Open rota in May as opposed to July, though many fans feel the windier/rainier the better, so it might not be an issue. You could also totally rejig the schedule by going British in May, PGA in June and then the US Open in July. Part of the reason the PGA is seen as something of an afterthought amongst the majors is because it's the last one of the year. The US Open is always a big deal, so having it as the last major won't diminish it in any way. Heck, you can promote it as the most difficult major as the year's final boss, the monster at the end of the book, if you will.

Looks like Jason Day is getting his swing changes figured out, and not a moment too soon before the summer majors

I'm looking forward to this event, it seems like a cool idea that the players are really into

Only ten posts in the RBC Heritage thread? Looks like we were all in a post-Masters hangover as well! Always enjoying watching this course on TV, even if I feel like I'd shoot around 140 in a round if I actually played it. Was hoping my countryman DeLaet would be the one with the breakout victory, but oh well.

Over the last 15 majors, Phil has a first and four runner-ups. That's a lot of A-game. Heck, he brought his A+ game to the final round at Troon last year, it's just that Stenson was an A++