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

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?
  • 11
  • 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