Tiger Woods injured

I'm not even sure I did that when I shot my personal-best 24 at the local Putt-Putt.

 

Whenever I go to tournaments I think how awesome it is to be just good enough to make cuts but never really compete. No pressure, laid back crowds, leave at 3 p.m. and a pretty good check.

If you can’t tell, I’m not the most competitive person in the world. I think third string NFL quarterback is the ideal profession.

 

Back in the '80s, Charlie Pierce and I theorized that the best job in sports was to be 12th man on the Lakers, the third string center. You played like five minutes a month, didn't even have to work hard in practice because you weren't supposed to press Kareem, and then after the game you'd hang in the bars and tell women kind of fake modestly, "yes, I'm with the Lakers."

 

So here's the deal. No one said PGA Tour players as a whole were starving in 1995. The non-stars were making a very nice living. But they were not ridiculously rich.

The statement was, "Guys went from playing to support their families to building generational wealth." No one said "supporting their families" meant they were eking out a meager living. They were doing well. But that's not the same as "building generational wealth."

Then in the span of five years, the average player's earnings more than tripled -- from $175,000 to $610,000.

Are you telling me there's no difference in that?

Let's look at the No. 125 player on the money list. In 1995, John Wilson won $149,280. That's a very nice income, even after expenses. In 2000, Bob Burns won $391,075. That's a significantly better living.

The whole point here is that Tiger Woods' massive success drove eyes to golf again and raised its profile and popularity, which helped fuel a giant leap in prize money and sponsorships/endorsements for the entire sport. Players -- and others who make a living in the golf business -- realize this and therefore they appreciate Woods to the extent that they wore red and black on Sunday and spoke glowingly of him after his car crash.

The end.

 

Third string is too tenuous. You're just as likely to be on the practice squad, and teams churn through. them rapidly. Better to be the No. 2 behind one of those guys who never misses a game.

I agree with Gee. I used to think Chuck Nevitt had the best job in the world. Got championship rings for clapping.

 

I feel like third string QB used to be a steadier job. Especially in San Francisco.

 

But Tiger’s contemporaries didn’t like him for various reasons
He won a lot and was a self-centered jerk
He gets along a lot better with the younger players
Yes, they make a lot more $$$ thanks to him, but they also have been influenced by him and his devotion to fitness
And, Tiger is a lot more likable now that he has been through a lot of shit
They look at Woods as a mentor
$$$ certainly is part of it but not the only thing

 

A phantom foul away from having a ring with the Pistons

 

Udonis Haslem has a nice gig going right now.

 

There's some money to be made on the Korn Ferry Tour, but once you drop below that, it's really tough to scratch out a living between travel, expenses, equipment and everything that goes along with it. Those playing Latinoamerica and Mackenzie lose money just making cuts on most occasions. Even the No. 2 guy on the KFT money list this year is averaging about $30K a tournament, which isn't that much once you figure in expenses. And no, those guys aren't getting free hotel and airfare to play.

 

I'll buy that. The guys in the late '90s-2000s didn't like Tiger because he was beating them all the time. I do think they still respected and appreciated him because of what he did for their finances.

But he's certainly a lot easier to like now that he's just another guy (in terms of competition).

 

If you’re playing the KFT can’t you plan out travel weeks in advance and keep costs down around $3K a week?