Connect with us

19th Hole

Is it really that hard to make it to the PGA Tour?

Published

on

Most high handicappers delude themselves into thinking that with the right tip from a golf magazine, they’ll be par shooters. Likewise, many a scratch player believes (if only he had the practice time!) could make it to the professional circuit.

In that vein: How tough is it really to make it to the PGA Tour? More specifically, how large is/what constitutes the divide between mini tour players and those with PGA Tour cards?

GolfWRX member wmblake2000 devoted a thread to the topic. He writes.

“I met a young guy at the range today – 23 yrs. This kid had a stunning swing, professional grade. So much speed, just beautiful to witness. I never really saw him putt chip nor, obviously, play. But the boy was impressive and has serious talent.

“I asked him what he was doing – trying to make the pga tour, of course. Next year he’s going to play the South American tour, which I had never heard of. He said top 5 make the web.com tour. Out of 100+. The average driver carry distance on this tour is 297, he said. His point was, the guys on this tour could all play.

“Now, distance and swing isn’t the same as scoring under pressure but, damn, this kid looked good to me and his odds of making the pga tour are very slim at best.”

The early replies are stellar. WRXer bcinstinct pulls this quote from an NPR interview with John Feinstein from when the sportswriter was doing his research for Tales From Q School

“If you walk down the range at the first stage – there are 14 first stage sites of Q School every year – and just watch the guys swing a golf club, you couldn’t tell the difference between them and the guys on the tour. They can all hit it 300 yards, they all have beautiful swings.

“The difference is that the guys at the top level can play under the most pressure. That’s where you separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls in professional golf. It’s your ability to repeat your swing under pressure and to make putts under pressure. Tiger Woods, in 2005, had 485 putts on tour of five feet or less. He missed none of them. That’s one of the reasons he’s Tiger Woods.”

The insights and anecdotes that follow make this a must-read thread even though it’s nary a few days old.

And at the risk of stomping on any dreams: For anyone who hasn’t grown up competing as an elite amateur and at least been recruited by a top college golf program, it’s incredibly, incredibly, unlikely you’ll ever make it to the PGA Tour.

Anyway, check out the full thread.

Your Reaction?
  • 100
  • LEGIT16
  • WOW6
  • LOL7
  • IDHT3
  • FLOP4
  • OB3
  • SHANK12

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

19th Hole

TaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract

Published

on

This week, TaylorMade Golf announced that they’ve signed AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, Miles Russell, to an NIL contract.

In a statement, TaylorMade called Russell “nothing short of remarkable”.

“Miles’ record setting success at his young age is nothing short of remarkable and we are excited he chose us to support him in his growth as a golfer to continue to accomplish his career goals. Identifying and developing the top junior talent in the world has always been a priority for us at TaylorMade. Miles and his family epitomize the type of athlete and human being we are looking to add to Team TaylorMade.”

Russell has broken plenty of records in recent months. This season, he was named American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Boys Player of the Year, making him the youngest male player to receive the award. The record was previously held by Tiger Woods who was about 10 months older than Russell at the time he received the award.

At age 14, J he became the youngest player ever to win the Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass at age 14.

The 15-year-old also played in his first Korn Ferry Tour event on Thursday, the LECOM Suncoast Classic, and shot a first-round 68.

In the aftermath of the agreement, Russell released a statement.

“I have had a great relationship with the team at TaylorMade for years now and couldn’t be more excited to continue to work with them in the future. TaylorMade has a history of developing the top junior talent in the world to help reach their goals of becoming PGA TOUR and major championship winners. I am looking forward to working with the team to reach those and other goals I have laid out for my career.”

Your Reaction?
  • 10
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW1
  • LOL3
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Group of PGA Tour caddies sign endorsement deal with underwear company

Published

on

In an interesting turn of events, a group of PGA Tour caddies have signed an endorsement deal with an underwear company.

Geno Bonnalie (Joel Dahmen), Aaron Flener (J.T. Poston), John Limanti (Akshay Bhatia) and Joel Stock (Will Zalatoris) and John Ellis (Wyndham Clark) have signed a deal with the underwear brand, SAXX.

Here are some details about the endorsement deal:

  • The deal eclipses six figures in total value, extending what last year marked the first significant apparel agreement with a group of pro caddies. Of note, Geno and John Ellis appeared in the Netflix docuseries, Full Swing.
  • The caddies will wear SAXX underwear, shorts and polos on and off the course.
  • SAXX will donate $100 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation for every birdie made by the caddies’ players for the rest of the season.
  • SAXX will bring the Ball Masters to the masses at the Travelers Championship, hosting a fan activation with underwear giveaways, photo opportunities, appearances from the Ball Masters and more.
  • Fans can become an honorary Ball Master, which includes a year’s worth of underwear, among other things. Go to SAXX.com/ball-master-application from now until June 15 to enter.

The partnership is great for the caddies and also represents a great cause.

Check out the video they shared on YouTube:

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 2
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL2
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Man charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of memorabilia from Augusta National

Published

on

Augusta National

According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, a man has been charged in Chicago with stealing millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia from Augusta National.

The man, Robert Globensky, was charged with transporting the memorabilia across state lines.

The report states that between 2009 and 2022, Globensky allegedly transported “millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and historical memorabilia” from Augusta National “and transported to Tampa, Florida, knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The document was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Per the court records there is no mention that Globensky worked for the golf club.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 1
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW1
  • LOL2
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB1
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending