Quote:
Originally Posted by xnavyct
Now this is interesting what Nicklaus is saying here....basically, that the money on Tour has gotten so big, that even if they don't win a tournament, a Tour Pro is going to make some very good money. It has made them 'soft', in contrast to when he was playing.
ESPN - At Open, Nicklaus wonders if money has softened young golfers - Golf
Thoughts?
I think the players now want to win just as much as Tour players did in previous decades, but Jack is correct in that they probably don't know the pressure of having to finish well in order to have enough money to make a decent living... |
And this is some kind of revelation?
I've been saying that for at least the last fifteen years. I can't put my finger on the exact moment in history, but there was a point where Tour pro's stopped carrying their golf bags into the clubhouse and started carrying briefcases. It was around that time that "winning" changed from finishing in first place to simply finishing in the "top twenty". As the years rolled on and the purses got bigger and bigger, that changed to "top fifty" and these days even finishing last on the money list still offers that player a very comfortable lifestyle.
About a decade or so before Jack turned pro, many tournaments only paid money to those who finished in the top twenty or top fifty. The rest were given a handshake and that was about it. In those days, you either played well, or you starved.
Even when Jack earned his first professional paycheck ($33.33) the idea of sponsorship was still a few years away. But in 1965 when Julius Boros accepted a deal from Amana which paid him $50 per week to wear a hat with their logo embroidered on it, the floodgates opened. And if you want to really have something to ponder, try figuring out why Michelle Wie, who has never won an 18 hole stroke play event - EVER, manages to pull in over 20 million per year in off-course income. She and many other professional golfers may talk about wanting to win, but deep down inside they know that they could go winless for the rest of their careers and still have millions in the bank.
With the money to be made today, winning is basically more of a hassle than anything else. If a pro can live a millionaire's lifestyle by simply aiming for 20th place, why go to all the time and trouble to win? Winning means the spotlight and if the win was a major, it means a constant spotlight and a large demand on one's time, while "Mr. Top Twenty" simply waves as he walks by on his way to cash yet another hefty "losers" check. That's why Tiger is so remarkable. He was a multimillionaire before he ever teed it up for his first pro tournament in Milwaukee, yet he has gone on to make history and will likely be doing so into the foreseeable future. I honestly believe he'd do it for free because he's in it for the glory and the records. One of my favorite Tiger quotes is "Second place is just first loser".
That single sentiment is what separates him from the also-rans and it demonstrates why they ARE also-rans.
-JP