Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, LIV Golf, Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup: Five stories to watch in golf in 2023

The golfing year kicked into life last weekend with Jon Rahm producing a stunning finish to deny Collin Morikawa at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and it could prove to be a scene setter for an epic 2023.

With that in mind, we take a look at some of the big storylines to look out for in 2023.

From new ‘designated events’ with a bigger prize pot and stronger fields, to the LIV Golf disruption and to Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.

Sit back, get comfy and enjoy as we outline some of the key storylines to follow over the next 12 months.

It’s an age-old question that may finally be answered this year.

McIlroy will be heading to The Masters in April hoping to finally get the monkey off his back and become only the sixth player in the history of the sport to complete the career Grand Slam, an achievement that sees the capturing of all four major championships. After coming oh-so-close at Augusta in 2011, where he led on all four days only to capitulate under the pressure of the final back-nine, and finishing solo second last year, the Northern Irishman appears to have done everything but win.

With McIlroy we have come to expect success, but this year it really feels like he could get it done. Last year we witnessed one of his best seasons, despite not clinching a major. With three wins on the PGA Tour including the Tour Championship, he became the first player to win the curtain-closing event three times - a feat that not even a certain Mr. Woods can put his name to.

His success also continued on the other side of the pond on the DP World Tour where he wrapped up the No. 1 ranking and the Harry Vardon Trophy for the fourth time. All of this culminated in the 33-year-old ascending back to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Bookmakers already have McIlroy as the early favourite for The Masters and everything at the moment suggests he will have as good a shot as ever to slip on the Green Jacket that has eluded him for so long.

Arguably the most talked about story from last year will continue dominating the conversation throughout 2023.

The early framework for a rival tour to compete with the likes of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour came in 2019 and by late 2021, LIV Golf Investments was born.

With Greg Norman heading up the breakaway as CEO, LIV Golf has been sending shockwaves through the sport ever since. Funded by Golf Saudi, a division of the Public Investment Fund, players and events have been offering up a crazy amount of money. As such, they have been able to lure away the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and current Open champ Cameron Smith. Expect the rumour mill to continue to churn with rumours of who they’ll try to sign next in 2023.

LIV have already announced an early schedule for their 2023 events, including an event at longtime DP World Tour location, Valderrama, which would have been a serious blow to the Tour and signified the further intent of LIV. More tournaments are set to be revealed soon so it’ll be interesting to see if they can secure access to any other historic tracks.

Other LIV-based storylines to follow include ranking points, major inclusions and the ongoing court battles with both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Up until this point, LIV golfers have been unable to earn ranking points and the reasons are myriad and complex. LIV have been in communication with the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) for some time now and despite a collaborative effort with the MENA Tour, a developmental circuit based in the Middle East who can dish out ranking points, this was refused with LIV Golf’s application still pending review. It’s thought that the 54-hole, no-cut format of their events is proving a sticking point.

Some rare good news greeted LIV recently with Augusta announcing that all players currently meeting eligibility criteria would be allowed to compete at The Masters. This left the door open for many current LIV contractors. Whether the likes of the R&A, USGA and PGA of America follow the same line is yet to be seen.

There is also still the matter of a lawsuit against the PGA Tour that was originally put forward by 11 former players challenging the suspensions that were imposed when they defected to LIV, that number has since dropped to three. Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set a summary judgement hearing for July 23, 2023, with the trial now set to take place on January 8, 2024. Expect more commentary and references to the trial to be peppered throughout the year.

After his severe car crash in February 2021, many questioned if we would ever see Tiger Woods walk again, let alone return to competitive action swinging a club. The fact we’re wondering what events he’ll be playing this year is a near miracle.

Woods, understandably, had a fluid schedule last year as he continued his rehab work to strengthen his foot and leg - that reportedly almost required amputation after his accident. He managed nine competitive rounds, which included The Masters, PGA Championship and the 150th Open at St. Andrews, much to the delight of golf and sports fans across the globe.

Despite developing plantar fasciitis, pain in his heel and the arch of his foot, that resulted in a late withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge which he hosts, Woods also managed to take part in The Match with Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth and the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, before the end of the year.

We already know that he won’t play a full schedule again, such was the severity of his injury and the accumulation of what he’s been through during his career, but we do know his focus is on the big events.

‘The goal [for next year] is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more," Woods said in November last year. "That's it."

For now, we can expect his first official appearance to come at Augusta but whether we see him beforehand is another question altogether. It is likely Woods will be at the Genesis Invitational in mid-February, another event he hosts, but whether that is in a playing capacity is another unknown. The schedule is all ifs, buts and maybes - but let's celebrate the fact that Tiger is playing any golf at all.

It’s a Ryder Cup year and Team Europe are looking to right the wrongs from two years ago at Whistling Straits. The U.S. team found the right formula in 2021 and were far superior in every session resulting in a record 19-9 victory over their European rivals.

With the event scheduled to take place from September 29-October 1 in the Eternal City of Rome at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Team Europe will have the passion of the home support fully behind them. With what looks set to be a fresher, younger-looking team, McIlroy, Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood will likely be the experienced heads of an outfit that may well include the likes of the Hojgaards and Robert MacIntrye, so it will be an interesting watch to see how this ‘new’ era of European talent gets on.

Being on the receiving end of a chastening defeat was a bitter pill for the Europeans to swallow, especially having dominated the contest since the turn of the century. However, with LIV now in the golf ecosystem, some heavyweights from that U.S. team are set to be absent this time around, notably Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. The U.S. have a strong, young core regardless and will be looking for their first road victory in 30 years.

The DP World Tour-based players will be familiar with the Marco Simone track as it has become a stop for the Italian Open. Many Team Europe hopefuls, crucially, already have some reps around the layout.

That kind of course knowledge and experience did wonders when Le Golf National in Paris, venue for the French Open, hosted the matchplay showdown in 2018. The U.S. team opted against any venue homework in the build up to that event and it backfired as Europe cruised to victory.

It will be interesting to see if any U.S. team contenders choose to come over for the Italian Open at the beginning of May. If they opt against making the trip, and with what happened at Le Golf National in mind, dare we whisper Europe 1-up?

We will also be treated to another team showpiece this year - but this time it will be the turn of the women to go head-to-head.

Team Europe will be defending after their 15-13 victory at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio back in 2021 - only their second win on United States soil.

That victory signalled that the women's game within Europe was going from strength to strength and with the latest event being staged on ‘home’ soil at Finca Cortesin Costa Del Sol in Spain, the extra juice typically provided by the home support will make Team Europe an even tougher nut to crack.

Expect the makeup of Team Europe to have very much a Scandinavian feel to it, such has been the success of that region over the last 12 months. Sweden's history maker Linn Grant, who became the first female winner of a DP World Tour event at the Scandinavian Mixed, is a likely shoo-in, as is her friend and compatriot Maja Stark. The pair dominated the Ladies European Tour last season, along with the consistent strong showings from another Swede in the form of Madalene Sagstrom. With Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, a veteran of nine Solheim Cups, taking on the captaincy, Team Europe looks set to be one lean, mean, points taking machine.

However, the U.S. team will be looking to disrupt proceedings when the event gets underway on September 22. The last couple of meetings have been nail biters with the pendulum constantly swinging in different directions and this is sure to be another fiercely contested battle.

There is some scar tissue there for the players that will likely get a spot on Stacy Lewis’s team after coming just shy previously, so you can be assured they will come out all guns blazing to ensure they are enjoying the spoils of victory come Sunday evening.