I watched the PGA golf tournament from Los Angeles this weekend and frankly, what a "yawner". Golf is a wonderful sport, but it can be like watching paint dry sometimes. I grew up during the era of Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and even crazy Chi Chi Rodriguez. These guys were great golfers and also had great personalities. They joked with the crowds, took big risks when they could have played conservative, but were always entertaining.
Today all can I say is, "Where have all the Tigers gone?" Maybe it's because there is so much money at stake, or are we just in a 'lull" in the sport. But there are so many "no name" golfers nowadays making millions, that Tiger Woods stands out like a beacon in the night. Yes, he is a great golfer, maybe the best ever, but he also brings excitement to the PGA tour, and even more important his personality, character, and conduct in his personal life makes him a roll model for millions of young people. Other than Phil Mickelson, most PGA players are so serious that they forget that part of their job is to entertain us.
Last year an older golfer named Woody Austin came in second, and almost won the 2007 PGA Championship. He had his 15 minutes of fame, but more important he brought some personality back to the PGA tour, joking with the crowd, taking risky shots, and obviously having fun in the process. Get it together PGA - we need more Tigers, and even more Woodys out there.
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I have mixed feelings on this one. These guys are professionals, merely doing their job. We don't expect Tom Brady to make us laugh. So why should pro golfers? Golf may not be exciting to watch to a lot of people, especially if you're not an avid golfer like me. Golf on TV is boring to me sometimes as well, and if Tiger or Phil aren't in the hunt I normally don't have a huge interest in watching. But most of these no-name guys are not making millions of dollars. For every guy making a million a year, there are 5 pros who are barely making a living. Imagine the pressure knowing that if you miss a 4 foot putt on Friday afternoon, you don't play on the weekend and don't make a dime that week. I'm not saying that I feel sorry for a guy who makes 1.3M last year because he came in the top 10 in three or four tournaments yet remains a nobody to most of the world. But there are so many guys who miss the cut in well over half the tournaments they enter. They go month to month not knowing if their kids will eat steak or Top Ramen that month. So I don't blame them if they are serious on the golf course. They are at work out there, at their office. Most of them do a fair amount of joking around like we all try and do at times while working. But when it's crunch time and the work has to get done, it's all serious business. There is a lot of money involved, but that's another subject.
Sorry Dad, I was logged in under Deb's account. But you know who this is from....
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