Advertisement

What to expect in 2013: No. 9, Brandt Snedeker

Since the Mayans were wrong, it appears the 2013 PGA Tour season will actually happen. There are plenty of big names set to make some noise in the upcoming season (the year kicks off on January 4th!), so we've picked our ten guys we think will have huge impacts next season and preview them here. We continue with "Mr. FedExCup," Brandt Snedeker.

Brandt Snedeker

Age: 32

Career PGA Tour wins: 4

Career major wins: 0

What he did in 2012: Won $11.4 million for four days of golf in September. That's what you call a good year. Snedeker, a thirtysomething with two PGA Tour wins coming into the season, hit the proverbial jackpot by winning the Tour Championship and the FedExCup with three birdies over his final six holes to cash the biggest paycheck of his career.

The win defined Snedeker's season, but what many forget is that he also won earlier in the year at the Farmers Insurance Open to jumpstart the magical run. Snedeker also made his first Ryder Cup appearance and wielded the hottest putter for much of the year (he finished 1st on the PGA Tour in strokes gained-putting). To say his season was a rousing success would be the understatement of the year.

Why we like him in 2013: Repeating 2012 will be nearly impossible — especially when you consider the FedExCup champion from the previous year has never made it back to the Tour Championship in the past six years. But even with the odds stacked against him, I still like Snedeker to have another big season and maybe, just maybe, win a major championship.

At this point in his career he's won more money than he'll ever know what to do with, so it's time to start concentrating on building a lasting legacy. Snedeker came oh-so-close last year at the Open Championship before succumbing to the pressure on Sunday afternoon. While it's difficult to peg a guy for greatness these days because there are so many guys in the hunt each and every week on the PGA Tour, Snedeker was numero uno in putting last season and I don't think the flatstick is going to disappear.

Assuming he can start hot in the months leading up to the Masters, he could contend for a green jacket. And even if he fails to capture a major this year, I still expect Snedeker to pick up at least one PGA Tour win in 2013.