Connect with us

19th Hole

Symetra pro shares eye-opening detail about financial hardships on feeder tour

Published

on

Over the past few months, we have seen several social media posts from players currently playing at feeder tour level, with many highlighting the disparity between pay at the very top and the potential loss of taking part in development tours.

On New Years Day, six-time professional winner Meghan Maclaren took to Twitter to highlight her real-life example of life on the Symetra/development tours.

The 27-year-old is no stranger to posting her thoughts, with her regular blog an excellent insight into many things golf and beyond, but this posting set up an uninvited debate with the usual anonymous tweets interspersed with understandably supportive comments from her fellow ‘feeder’ players.

The initial comment was itself quite innocuous, detailing the importance of financial help throughout a career, even one with a couple of LET victories in the bank and a 2021 victory on the Symetra Tour, the main pathway to the LPGA.

In the two tweets, Maclaren thanks her sponsors and team for support, highlighting the ‘VERY unselfish coaches and next to no caddie all year.’

Prefacing the tweet with the comment ‘*not looking for sympathy or a debate about feeder tours, just thought interesting to share’ she makes note of the fact that even after a win, two top-10s and a pair of top-15 finishes she would have, without assistance, been looking at a LOSS on the season of around $31,000.

Replies were of contrasting natures. Many folks understood the point that was being made. Here we have a victorious player that finished 18th on the money list of the league just one below that of the big time, and winner of circa $60k in prize money that would, without help, be paying out for the privilege of playing.

Bradley Neil, formally a hugely promising European junior making his way through the grades, commented simply, ”Could not agree more! If it wasn’t down to the generosity of the team around us, we wouldn’t survive.” Thoughts turn to many players on the Outlaw Tours, EuroPro Tours and the rest that perhaps don’t get the chances to progress their undoubted talent because it simply costs too much, not that perhaps they are lacking the skills.

Of course, nobody will argue that Tiger, Phil et al. have brought countless millions to the PGA and ‘deserve’ to be rewarded, but as covered by the likes of Ryan French (@acaseofthegolf1) it is the mini and development tours that create the stories, that have the players so dedicated to ‘making it’ they sleep in camper vans overnight and work in stores at the end of each round. Perhaps too the players that might make the future as bright as it is now, and many that were almost certainly inspired to play by the likes of those at the top.

Maclaren, who said that, ‘(2021) Q series crushed me completely,’ and eventually finished just three shots from a card after eight gruelling rounds, wasn’t looking for sympathy. She simply thought it would be useful to know the costs behind the glamour.

Meghan’s regular blog highlights all these musings and gives an insight into life on the road, into psychology, self-belief and doubt, and simply, well, Meg Maclaren. It’s well worth a read https://megmaclaren.com/

 

Your Reaction?
  • 94
  • LEGIT16
  • WOW9
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP3
  • OB1
  • SHANK8

19th Hole

3-time PGA Tour winner calls for LIV to buy Champions Tour to fix ‘joke’ purses

Published

on

While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.

“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.

“Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”

In 2024, the Champions Tour had a total of $67 million in prize money over the course of 24 events.

DiMarco also defended LIV players for taking the money and said he would take it also.

“They wanted to play for a lot of money, and they deserve it. They have had some great careers, why not go and get some money?”

DiMarco also offered insight on Graeme McDowell’s move to LIV.

“I saw Graeme McDowell at the Old Memorial Pro Member, and he goes, ‘Listen, I went up to Jay Monahan and said I love the tour but I am struggling to keep my card and these guys are offering me all this money and less golf. I’m sorry, I’m going.’ And I do not blame him one bit, and I said I would have too.”

DiMarco was ranked as high as 6th in the world in 2006.

More from the 19th Hole

 

Your Reaction?
  • 68
  • LEGIT8
  • WOW4
  • LOL7
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP11
  • OB7
  • SHANK102

Continue Reading

19th Hole

‘It won’t win you golf tournaments’ – Golf analyst rips Charley Hull’s course management

Published

on

Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.

After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.

While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.

“I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.

“The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.

“In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else. If you put Charley against Nelly Korda, then I’m picking Nelly every single day of the week.”

Johnson also made a fascinating comparison between Hull and a famous male golfer, John Daly.

“Golf-wise that’s the way she plays the game and it’s a little bit like watching John Daly I suppose.”

“There’s something that John Daly had that made him a major winner and a winner, but Charley is kind of lacking that. Her talent is not in question, but maybe her application is. Maybe it’s just the case of her never changing and that will cost her golf tournaments, there’s no two ways about it. You cannot go for every pin because that’s the way you play and it being fun, as other players are better than that and you have to have course management.”

Hull is still only 27, and therefore has plenty of time to work on her flaws to achieve the success her talent should allow.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 46
  • LEGIT13
  • WOW7
  • LOL3
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB1
  • SHANK29

Continue Reading

19th Hole

Former agent lifts lid on being fired by ‘zombie’ Tiger Woods

Published

on

Discussing his new book “Rainmaker” with the Daily Mail, Tiger Woods’ former agent, Hughes Norton, recounted the events leading up to and after his split with the 15-time major champion.

Norton was abruptly fired by Woods in 1998 after his 1997 Masters win and monster deal with Nike.

In the book, Norton talks about the way Tiger views his relationships, calling him a “zombie.”

The solace I can take, which doesn’t provide much, is this: He was an equal opportunity zombie with relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the guy negotiated the IMG representation deal, with caddies, When it’s over, it’s over.”

Norton added:

“It is the way he terminates relationships with everyone. Whether it’s girlfriends, whether it’s his former golf coaches. It’s ironic, really. In a way he’s so good at confrontation on the golf course. If he’s playing you, he will beat your brains out every single time.

“But when it comes to confronting things like me and other people that are in his life, he has no social skills whatsoever. It’s maddening, actually.”

After he was fired by Woods, Norton was let go by IMG, which he believes was due to Woods’ influence.

More from the 19th Hole

Your Reaction?
  • 90
  • LEGIT27
  • WOW15
  • LOL4
  • IDHT3
  • FLOP5
  • OB1
  • SHANK54

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending