The top storylines heading into 2020 golf season

The question of "How much will Tiger play?" remains the hot-button topic of the 2020 golf season. His quest for a record 83rd PGA Tour victory will officially begin with the Farmers Insurance Open, Jan. 23-26, at Torrey Pines. Barring any health issues, Woods should be good to go for all four majors, beginning with his title defense at the Masters. Of course, his health will be key all season.

Remember not too long ago when we were talking about Jordan Spieth's pursuit of the grand slam? Now, that seems like forever ago, considering Spieth has not won a tournament since the 2017 Open Championship. He had only nine top-10 finishes in 2018 and '19 combined, so the pressure for Spieth to break out of his rut is only mounting.

The World's current No. 1-ranked golfer, Koepka will try to win a major tournament in a fourth consecutive season. A victory at this year's PGA Championship will make Koepka the first to win three in a row in the stroke-play era history of the prestigious event. There's also Koepka's pursuit of the grand slam, which would be complete with wins at the Masters and Open Championship. He finished top five at both in 2019.

Speaking of No. 1, the race for the top spot in the World Golf Ranking should again be a good one. Koepka and 2019 PGA Tour Player of the Year, Rory McIlroy, sit at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, at the moment. However, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay are worth watching. Then there is Dustin Johnson, who needs to elevate his game to once again hang with golf's elite.

We mentioned Tiger. And Brooks. So what about Rory? Despite not winning a major and failing to make the cut at the Open Championship on his home soil, McIlroy won four times in 2019, including The Players Championship, and he claimed the FedEx Cup title for the second time. McIlroy recently told PGATOUR.com that "I believe on my day I'm the best player in the world." That's true, and he apparently has the confidence to prove it.

Phil Mickelson is expected to be an active participant in the PGA Tour's West Coast swing, but after that it's uncertain just how much we'll see of him in 2020. He's no longer a major threat, at least not at the moment, and whether Mickelson will be involved in the 2020 Ryder Cup in some form or another remains to be seen. 

That's the hope of the PGA Tour and most of its members when the newest guidelines to improve pace of play will be put in place following the Masters. Toward the end of 2019, the Tour announced it would create a list of players with a penchant for slow play (we're looking at you, Mr. Bryson DeChambeau). The focus reportedly will be on individual golfers and no longer on groups.

Former Master champ Patrick Reed has ruffled plenty of feathers. He struggled at the President's Cup where the antics of his caddy managed to nearly overshadow Reed's poor play. Things got worse for Reed at the Hero World Challenge, where he tried to improve his lie, not once but twice, in the bunker. Now branded a cheater, is there any way one of the world's most disliked golfers — in terms of fan perception — can rehabilitate his image?

We ask the same question every season: Who will finally break through to win their first major? In 2020, it's safe to say plenty of eyes will be on the likes of DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele (three top-10 finishes at 2019 majors) and, of course, Rickie Fowler. Or what about one of the younger guns we got to know a little about in 2019 ...  

... specifically, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa. Shortly after turning pro, each won a PGA Tour event. Wolff, the 2019 NCAA champion, won July's 3M Open, edging DeChambeau and Morikawa by one stroke. Morikawa, meanwhile, won the Barracuda Championship later that month. More is expected from that pair, along with Wolff's teammate at Oklahoma State, Viktor Hovland, who is also being saddled with some lofty expectations. 

If some golfers — and fans — thought moving the PGA Championship to May and cramming the FedEx Cup playoffs in by the end of August was a tight fit, then 2019-20 will be like living inside a cardboard box. The addition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics late in the season and the September Ryder Cup will leave some potential maneuvering for the best golfers in the game. Not to mention, two new events increase the FedEx-associated tournament number to 49.

Let's revisit the Olympics. The big question surrounding that event will be which golfers will be representing their respective nations on both the men's and women's fronts? The competition to qualify for the United States will be quite fierce, considering the amount of talent that exists. The Olympic golf tournament will run from July 30-Aug. 8 at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Back to the schedule. The PGA Championship's move from August to May has been hit or miss early on, but time is still there to tell. In 2020, it will be a year of firsts for the tournament. For the first time, San Francisco's Harding Park will host the event, marking the initial appearance for the tournament in the city and on a TPC course.

Let's talk about the ladies for a bit. The 2020 season will certainly be a potentially lucrative one for those on the LPGA Tour. This season, the combined tournament prize money is worth a record $75.1 million. In 2019, South Korea's Jin Young Ko won a tour-leading $2,773,894. In addition, the LPGA Tour will receive more exposure with a reported 500-plus hours of action broadcast worldwide, with at least seven tournaments airing on network television.

While Tiger Woods is obviously the most recognizable male golfer on the planet, Michelle Wie probably owns the same title for the ladies. Now 30, married and with a child on the way, the oft-injured Wie has different priorities. However, golf is still on her mind, and she has not "ruled out" playing while pregnant. We'll see if that actually happens.

Expect to hear plenty of touching words, heartfelt tributes and memorable stories this 2019-20 season about famed golf course architect Pete Dye, who passed away earlier this month at age 94. Dye designed the likes of the famed Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and Whistling Straits, this year's Ryder Cup venue. 

The second season of the points-based system for the FedEx Cup playoffs is upon us. Year 1 seemed to go OK, with the winner-take-all Tour Championship essentially the most important tournament of the season. In 2020, Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club again plays host to the finale, while the TPC Boston hosts The Northern Trust and Olympia Fields in south suburban Chicago is the site of the BMW Championship. 

We'll end our time with perhaps the biggest golf story to keep on eye on in 2020. Can the U.S. bring the Ryder Cup back home? With Steve Stricker as captain in his home state of Wisconsin, the Americans look to rebound from that poor showing in France two years ago and win golf's most prestigious event on their own soil for the second consecutive time. It won't be easy, but the U.S. has no choice but to be on top of its game at Whistling Straits.