The 2026 golf season may not be over in its entirety -- the DP World Tour takes center stage in the golf world starting this week -- but the PGA Tour and LIV Golf campaigns have concluded, and that inevitably leads to an offseason of post-game analysis and look-ahead projection. This past year, as is the case every year, there were players who did not live up to their potential -- at least, according to some, to what their potential should have been. What exactly does it mean to fall short of expectations?
Internal or external expectations? Professional sports are largely built on an expectation-versus-reality quotient. Who steps up to their potential, and who falls short?
Amid a year in which players like Aaron Rai and Ryan Fox went from sturdy, solid professionals to major championship winners -- a year in which Rory McIlroy won a second straight Masters and Scottie Scheffler claimed the FedEx Cup after consecutive wins to end the season -- others fell short of what they could have achieved. For all the champagne bottles popped and winner's circles entered, other players were left watching it all unfold from the sidelines. These are seven players who fell short of expectations largely held for them entering the 2026 season.
This season, it was all supposed to come back together for Spieth. He was past the wrist injury and subsequent procedure, fully healthy and confident in his game. The signs were there early with three top-15 finishes in the Florida Swing, but the three-time major champion failed to register a single top-10 result by year's end for the first time in his career.
Ask a dozen folks around the game; each will give you a different answer about what Spieth needs to change. As much as his putter is capable of garnering momentum, it is just as likely to gift it away in the form of a short miss. His lively discussions on the course have always been part of the experience, but now, they seem as if he wants it too badly.
At age 33, it will be interesting which direction he goes in 2027 after finishing the year No. 52 in the FedEx Cup standings and missing out on his third straight U.S. team appearance. In his first season back on the PGA Tour, Koepka competed in just 16 tournaments as some injuries lingered throughout the season. Not only did that hang around, so did his putting woes from the last two years.
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