Roundtable: These players will snap losing streaks in 2010

text size

Halleran/Getty Images

Anthony Kim's shutout in 2009 was one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Editor's note: We celebrated the players who won tournaments in 2009, but what about the guys who came close? PGATOUR.COM asked its experts which of those players who didn't win will be back in the limelight again this year.

Vijay Singh
Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
He'll be 47 in February, but he's not too old to compete and win on the PGA TOUR. Look for Vijay Singh to get back in the victory circle after suffering through his first winless season since 2001.

The Big Fijian never really showed his old form after having surgery on his right knee in Jan. 2009. He didn't play as often (only 21 events) and certainly not as well (only six top-25s). Other than a short stretch late in the spring, where he earned two of his three top-10s, Singh wasn't often among the contenders.

He was eliminated after the second round of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, so he didn't get a chance to defend his title. He also fell to No. 26 in the Official World Golf Rankings. But he continues to be one of the hardest workers on TOUR and his pride is likely to push him back into the top echelon. Expect career win No. 35 to come this season, possibly as early as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where he's won before.

Anthony Kim
Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
This one's easy: Anthony Kim. Kim appeared headed for stardom when he won twice in 2008, had four other top-three finishes and thrashed Sergio Garcia in the Ryder Cup. But Kim failed to win in 2009, hurt by a suspect travel schedule that had him crossing the globe. He also battled nagging injuries and an admitted lack of commitment.

Kim says it's been his recent pattern to follow up a bad year with a good year (and a good year with a bad year). He knows he needs to make more changes than simply dumping his caddie, Eric Larson, who was on his bag for both PGA TOUR titles in '08. At some point, the player has to look in the mirror to find the true accountability.

Kim simply has too much talent to go through another winless season on the PGA TOUR. As long as he stays dedicated, he will lift at least two trophies in 2010.

Justin Leonard
Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
Justin Leonard came close to picking up win No. 13 in posting six top-10s, including a playoff loss in the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic.

At the same time, though, he wasn't happy with missed cuts at the Masters and U.S. Open and while the share of eighth at the PGA Championship was better, Leonard knows he had room to improve in the biggest events on TOUR.

He has a major game and could have -- maybe should have -- won a couple more majors to go with the 1997 British Open. Each year, his game matures a little more, though, and, well, this is a Ryder Cup year. When he gets the ball rolling, he's terrific on the greens.

Jim Furyk
John Maginnes, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
Jim Furyk hasn't won on the PGA TOUR since the 2007 RBC Canadian Open. This is more anomaly than anything else. He racks up top-10s the way that lesser players rack up cuts. He is a four-tool player (out of a possible five). Furyk will never be long but then again, he never has been.

He is accurate off the tee, a terrific ball striker, has a wonderful short game and is a tremendous putter. Four out of five ain't bad. Furyk has a killer instinct, dedication and heart. On top of all that, he is annoyed and tired of answering questions about his drought. Look for Jim to get into the winner's circle early this season.

The other player to watch is Adam Scott. Until Greg Norman gave him the nod for the Presidents Cup, Scott was mired in a slump. Since then, he has played much better, winning for the first time as a professional in Australia and more importantly, finding old form. Scott and Furyk have been perennially ranked in the top-10 in the world over the last decade for a reason. They will show you that reason again in 2010.

Padraig Harrington
Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
No name is more obvious for this list than Harrington's. By the end of the 2009 season, he finally appeared comfortable with the swing changes that he surprisingly made following his wildly successful 2008 season in which he won two majors and took home PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors.

After struggling for the majority of 2009, Harrington was in serious contention each of the four weeks during the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. A startling stat: He failed to break 70 only three times in the 16 rounds of the Playoffs. Like Phil Mickelson, Harrington didn't want the season to end.

Make no mistake -- he will be more determined than ever in 2010 to get back into the winner's circle. I can see plenty of Harrington vs. Mickelson battles this year.

David Toms
Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
There are so many candidates -- Luke Donald, Anthony Kim, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els. Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk, to name a few -- but my vote goes to David Toms. He came out with a renewed enthusiasm in 2009 and did everything but hoist the 13th trophy of his PGA TOUR career.

Toms tied for second three times last year, including in his first start at the Sony Open in Hawaii where he also won in 2007.

He's the same steady player, ranking fourth in driving accuracy, 20th in greens in regulation and seventh in scoring average. Not to mention, this is a Ryder Cup year and Toms would like nothing better to play for Corey Pavin in Wales.

Steve Marino
Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer
I could have gone with someone easy like Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk or Tim Clark. But I like Steve Marino's chances. He has a combined 15 top-10s the last three years and was a runner-up once each of the last two seasons -- in 2009 at Colonial, where he lost in a playoff, and in 2008 in Cancun, where he shot 64-66 on the weekend.

Statistically, Marino was 35th in driving distance and 21st in greens in regulation in 2009, so it's no wonder he ranked ninth in scoring average. More importantly, he's got a healthy amount of confidence and the ability to back it up.

On six occasions, Marino shot 65 or better in 2009, and he ranked seventh on TOUR in par-5 performance. If there's one area he definitely needs to improve, though, it's his performance in the final round -- he ranked 13th in scoring average before the cut and 16th in Round 3, but fell to 83rd in the final round.