Last Sunday was the final Sunday without golf on the calendar until September. After a two-month break, the PGA TOUR season resumes this week amid swaying palm trees and whales breeching off the coast of Maui.

The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is no longer the opening act -- it’s the eighth event in the 2014-15 wraparound schedule -- but in many players’ eyes, it still marks the beginning.

And with a new year comes new storylines. Here are five to follow in 2015:

1. If Tiger Woods is the sun in the golf universe, 2014 at times looked like it was stuck in an eclipse.

Plagued by a bad back and surgery at the end of March, Woods made little more than a fistful of starts and was a total non-factor. By year’s end he canned his coach (Sean Foley) and hired a “swing consultant” (Chris Como) in an effort to bring back his old swing.

However Woods still finished last at his Hero World Challenge because of a dreadful short game. At least he’s healthy. But at 39, Father Time is one of two opponents in his pursuit of golf's legendary milestones. The other opponent in his way? …

2. Rory McIlroy will be the story going into the 2015 Masters, where he would be the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam with a victory at Augusta National.

He ended 2014 by winning the year’s final two majors, The Open Championship and PGA Championship. The last guy to win three in a row? Woods, who has captured the career Slam -- thrice -- and held all four majors at the same time following his 2001 Masters victory.

McIlroy’s performances at Augusta National have at times been shaky -- a final-round 80 in 2011, getting beat by a non-competing marker last year and one top 10 in six trips -- but his game is still growing and at some the point soon he’s going to be slipping his arms into Green Jacket. The only question is: Will this be the year?

3. Speaking of career Slams, Phil Mickelson will continue his annual pursuit of completing one at the U.S. Open in June.

Six times he has finished a runner-up in the event, which heads to Chambers Bay outside Seattle this year. It’s a perfect venue for Lefty -- it has one tree, zero water hazards and is on the West Coast. But as we saw last year at Pinehurst, things often get in the way of the stars aligning. But just imagine if McIlroy wins the Masters? Two players will be going for some sort of Slam.

4. Speaking of questions, will this be the year Rickie Fowler and/or Jordan Spieth break through to win a big tournament?

Fowler became just the third player to finish in the top 5 of all four majors in a year last season. Spieth nearly became just the second player to win his first Masters in his first appearance (and he tied for fourth at THE PLAYERS). The guy I like? Jason Day. At 27 years old, he already has seven career top-10s in majors, including five finishes in the top four between the Masters and U.S. Open. I'm not big on predictions but I expect one of those three to win a WGC, Players or major.

5. And speaking of the game's young stars, who will be the next one?

I'm not sure I see any cut from quite the same cloth as guys like Fowler or Spieth, but it says an awful lot about your ability when other players stop what they're doing on the range to hit. Enter Tony Finau, the long-hitting rookie who leads the TOUR with 90 birdies in five starts, two of which resulted in top 10s. The only rookie to win last season was Chesson Hadley and Justin Thomas is another player who could extend that mark.

Welcome back, Sunday. It’s nice to see you again.