I think their ability to pick and choose makes the tournaments that they do play in more important and special. You can see they guys play every week who need the tournaments to keep their tour card but there are only 15 or so chances to see tiger and Phil each year and you should plan before you buy tickets and decide how important are the names to you, because regardless of who plays you will always see great golf at a tour event it just depends who you are watching. If you don't have a tournament near you there are a few tips on how to see the big name players:
1. They always play the majors, these tournaments always have the best field.
2. Tiger never plays the week before a major, phil often does
3. The older and more prestigeous a tournament is the more likely they will be there
4. They play tournaments with the biggest purses
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I'd say the other golfers are glad the 2 ain't there. They should be there though. However Tiger and Phil draw big crowds and generate lots of revenue. So others feel the pinch when big names don't play.
Tournament golf is grueling. 5 hours of intense play, and letting your concentration down once can cost you 1st place. The 3 month high school golf season is pretty exhausing, and that's WITHOUT a national TV audience watching your every move. If they want a week off from that, let them take it, and don't criticize them for it. They have no obligation to make more money for the tour by showing up.
Other than majors that count most to them, (the big 4), I don't think any tournament means much more than any other tournament to these guys. I question whether you can even fight it subjectively, much less assign it. They are independant contractors.
There has been a lot of failed effort over the years to declare something to be a 5th major. I don't think there will ever be one. In other words, there will never be a guarantee for anywhere other than the 4 majors that the big names will show up if they qualify. (I guess you aren't a big name if you don't...)
At their level, without something subjective to like, such as being in their hometown, college town, why play? I bet Tiger commits for the tournament when Buick is a sponsor. This is probably true of others. How about prestige of an old tournament like the Western Open? How about the prestige of Jack's tournament, the Memorial, or the Byron Nelson Classic? I wonder how much Byron's tournament will mean to them now that he has died?
Big bucks overseas are probably nice. I wish my wife's family in Jamaica would pay me to visit and play golf while I go there for business meetings.
Just for the sake of brainstorming though, I wonder if the disappointed kid who wanted Tiger to play in his town would turn his allegience to some other player who does show up for him?
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They only play the best events. And don't play any of them minor ones because they're getting ready for the big ones. They spend all of their time getting ready for majors and they're practise sure pays off
Yeah, but they've got to make a living out of it and they must play to put food on their tables. If they played every event they would be tired and not ready to play. As ameutuers we would love to play every week but look at it from Tiger and Phil's point of view. If they practice lots for 4 or 5 big money competitions then it's mor profitable then winning 3 or 4 small events. A major can equal the prize money for 5 mini events.
I don't know guys. I, like most of you guys, am just an amateur golfer that loves to play. That's fine, of course we would play in any of these tournaments given the chance, that's obvious. But it's different for these guys. Most of them love to play, other wise they wouldn't be playing, but it's different for them. They practice, long, and hard. Have you ever watched the golf channels "Vijay counter"? They count how many shots he takes in the whole day at tournaments. First day of the Players championship he hit 500 + golf balls. Have you ever tried hitting 500 plus golf balls? I don't think so, I personally would collapse out of exhaustion after less than 200. These guys practice for hours and hours every day. I don't know what it's like to do that. I play a lot of golf, I go to the range and hit balls, and stay and chip and putt for awhile. All in all two hours tops. These pros practice for 3 times that long every day, at least. And it's not just going out to relax, they practice with their swing coach, or trainer. Then they go home and work out. That's the difference between being a professional golfer, and an amateur golfer.
To say Tiger and Phil are disgracing golf by not playing is a bunch of bologna. These guys have done enough for the sport that they should never be forced to play at any point in their career. If they did play in every tournament, every week of every year, they would not be as mentally or physically sharp as they are when they do decide to play. And if you want to tell Phil, who has won 30 PGA tournaments, including 3 majors; or Tiger who has won I think 57 tournaments at the age of 31, that they need to play more tournaments, they would just laugh in your face. Because you have no idea how grueling it is to be a professional golfer. If they are off their game just one week, or one hole(ask phil about winged foot), they are constantly reminded of it from the media and the likes of ESPN and the Golf Channel. If they were forced to play every week, they just wouldn't be as sharp or as good, and I personally wouldn't want to see them unless they are at their best.
Tiger & Phil
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