It’s that time of year again.

As I’ve done the past few golf seasons, with varying degrees of success, I’ve looked into my foggy crystal ball and made a few haphazard guesses on the year ahead in professional golf. Below, you’ll find my predictions for 2016, along with how I fared in 2015 (Spoiler: not well).

SCOREGolf’s Jason Logan penned a fine piece this week on why 2015 was a great year for Canadian golf – most of which I won’t replicate here – but it’s hard to argue with his statements. Led by 18-year-old Brooke Henderson (a finalist for the Lou Marsh award for Canada’s athlete-of-the-year) and a strong contender for the Canadian Press’ Female Athlete-of-the-Year, and buoyed by David Hearn’s tremendous week at the RBC Canadian Open plus the status of Canadians at Web.com Tour Q-School (not to mention the health of Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada), if you were a golf fan in Canada, you were treated to some great storylines this year.

Professionally, I continued to write for a variety of national and regional outlets (my five favourite stories of 2015 are posted below) and I’ll look to continue that in 2016. So stay tuned to my Twitter feed – @adam_stanley – for all the latest from me. Personally 2015 was a big year as well as Stephanie and I got married on September 12th at King Valley Golf & Country Club (part of the ClubLink family). We had a wonderful ceremony, despite some mixed weather, and can’t thank the staff enough for their efforts. My five favourite Instagram shots of the year are also posted below.

Thanks for all your tweets, shares, comments, and feedback on my work through 2015. I’m really looking forward to what 2016 has in store.

Happy New Year!

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FIVE FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM SHOTS FROM 2015 (plus one bonus)

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FIVE FAVOURITE STORIES FROM 2015

My conversation with new European Tour CEO (and Canadian), Keith Pelley (for: Golf Canada)

My feature on Graham DeLaet prior to the RBC Canadian Open (for: PGATOUR.com)

My exclusive with Mike Weir as he begins his comeback in golf (for: Canadian Press)

My comparative story on Brooke Henderson and Connor McDavid (for: Sportsnet)

My in-depth feature on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, and chasing dreams (for: VICE Canada)

Also, this piece for the Globe & Mail’s Report on Business was well received by its readers, and I’m honoured to contribute to RoB occasionally, as a slight departure from my golf reporting.

Finally, I made my television debut on the CTV News Channel in April chatting about The Masters (and I returned to speak on a variety of topics as the year went on).

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Who will be no.1 in the world at this time next year? 

2015: Rory McIlroy (except I don’t think he’ll hold it for the full calendar year)

2016: Although I was half-right on my guess for 2015, Rory played an ill-advised game of footy in July which resulted in a poorly timed injury (he did visit Toronto, though!). My guess for 2016: Rory McIlroy (I’m sensing a pattern)

How many times will Tiger win?

2015: Twice

2016: Tiger barely played two tournaments, let alone sniff the winner’s circle. My guess for 2016: Zero. (P.S. Read this, from my friend Lorne Rubenstein… if, somehow, you haven’t already)

Will any of the ‘Best to Never Win a Major’ win a major?

2015: Yes

2016: I nailed this one, as Jason Day captured the PGA Championship in August to salvage my prediction. My guess for 2016: No, all the winners of the majors in 2016 will have won majors before… except Rickie Fowler will get agonizingly close again.

The winners of the Majors will be?

2015: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson

2016: Oops? In any case, here are my Major predictions for the year ahead — Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day

Ryder Cup?

2015: Presidents Cup prediction: U.S.

2016: Nailed this one, although kind of an easier one (and it looked like the U.S. was stumbling home on Sunday…) but I’m going to go with the U.S. at the Ryder Cup this year, finally leaning on its youthful squad for a big ‘W’ at home.

PGA TOUR Player of the Year?

2015: Rory McIlroy

2016: Jason Day

Some Miscellaneous Predictions: 

• Stephen Ames will win on the Champions Tour
  • He did not, but, he captured seven top-10’s (and I’ll carry this prediction over to 2016)
• Brad Fritsch will not win on the Web.com Tour, but he’ll finish within the top-25 and get his PGA Tour Card for 2015-16
  • Neither of these things turned out true, but Fritsch will have full status again on the Web.com Tour to give it another go.
• Adam Hadwin will challenge at more than one PGA Tour event
  • Hadwin had a very up-and-down debut season on the PGA Tour, but he did enough to earn his card for 2016 (he earned just under $1 million (USD) and notched three top-10 finishes)
• At least one Canadian will make the Presidents Cup team
  • Missed this one
• If Mike Weir doesn’t qualify for the British Open, he will play for Canada at the Pan-Am Games in July
  • Wrong here
• PGA TOUR Canada will add at least one tournament to its schedule this year
  • Incorrect for 2015, but for 2016…
• I’m going to recycle my 2014 prediction again, and say a Canadian will be PGATC’s PoY
  • Wrong here, too
• A course that’s never hosted the Canadian Open will be announced to do so for 2016
  • Incorrect (it’s going back to Glen Abbey) but maybe for 2017…
• There will only be one female Canadian golfer with full LPGA status at the end of 2015
  • Henderson is locked in, but congratulations to Alena Sharp who had her best season ever on the LPGA Tour, and to Maude-Aimee Leblanc, who finished tied for fourth at the LPGA Tour’s Q-school

This year’s random thoughts — 

• More than one Canadian will win on the Web.com Tour
• Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada will see a Canadian emerge as its Player of the Year
• David Hearn will win on the PGA Tour
• Cabot Links will announce a third course
• A PGA of Canada professional will make the cut at the RBC Canadian Open
• RBC will announce another major player signing