If I were Davis Love IV, I would be very pissed at Davis Love III
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Oct 31, 2009 8:51 AM EDT
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PrintI noticed where Bryan Saltus, Anthony Kang and Jason Knotzon are playing at the Barclays Singapore Open this week on the European Tour. That Mickelson fellow is also in the field. Four Americans total are playing this event. Why only four?
Tiger Woods has 71 U.S. PGA Tour victories including 40 victories which are counted as official tournaments on other tours. In European Tour events, Tiger is #1 in career earnings, almost DOUBLE Colin Montgomery. Davis Love III has two total official non-PGA victories. Is Tiger that much better than DLIII? Well, yes he is, but that is not the answer. Like they say here about the Maryland Lottery, "Ya Gotta Play To Win.."
They always make a big deal at Hawaii and Disney that the tour players love bringing their family. How about one summer taking the kids to England, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, the Czech Republic and Spain? Once Davis Love IV is grown, there is a pretty chance he'll visit Disney and Hawaii regardless, but Europe for FREE? How do you beat that?
Well, not free exactly, but daddy can enter and play golf against other golfers and win money. My kids have been lucky. Rachel studied abroad and saw and vacationed Europe. My Mac hard drive is bulging with pictures of every Catholic church on the continent. She also had a blast.
Why won't American golfers play on that tour occasionally. Not just Bryan Saltus. But, Davis Love, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. Hell, Ben Curtis returns each year, plays a few events and pays for his trip. I am sure his wife Candace loves it.
DL4 will probably be a great golfer and visit Europe anyway. But, it drives me nuts that American golfers do not compete around the world and then complain that non-PGA Tour players are stealing spots in majors and WGC events. Play abroad, meet the players, educate your kids, make a few bucks.
Trust me, very few golf fans will even know you are gone...
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Are you just pulling names out of a hat ?
DL III ? Did you consider that IV is still in school…not on winter break ?
You do realize that they have to either be invited, or ask for spots and be accepted, right ? This is not a PGA Tour event that American players can just show up and play. The ONLY reason Mickelnuts is over there is the appearance money.
You misspoke a little on Tiger’s Euro Tour money. Most of that is from majors and WGC’s – events that count on both tours. Tiger has ZERO official dollars on the European Tour because…drumroll please…he isn’t a member.
Who is complaining that non-PGA Tour players are “stealing” WGC spots ? Those spots are based on world rankings and playing on the Euro Tour doesn’t do anything for PGA Tour guys. I understand what you’re saying about needing to be playing to build the ranking, but travelling all the way to Singapore at DL’s age isn’t his favorite thing to do. Kids are in school – he’s a homebody.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
court, why do you take everything so literally?
David Toms, Chad Campbell, DLIII, Azinger, Lehman – they are all the same person. Card carrying UAW PGA union slugs. Make a million with the minimum amount of effort. Every foreign golfer leaves their tour to prove themselves on our tour. Only ten American golfers are in the top thirty in the World Golf Rankings. Obviously we are not so muckin futch. Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell have commented the Nationwide Tour is a better tour than the Euro Tour and that foreign players have inflated OWGR ranking points and therefore get spots in WGC events and majors they should not.
My only point is I feel American golfers should play other tours. Take the family around the world. Home school your kids for six months. Do you honestly feel an education system would fail a student who was spending time in Europe visiting churches, castles, art museums and monuments and trying to speak foreign languages?
Obviously, TW has never been a member of the Euro Tour. I wrote that his, “victories including 40 victories which are counted as official tournaments on other tours.”
...from the land of pleasant living, Baltimore.
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Oct 31, 2009 10:50 PM EDT reply actions
so the answer is “yes, I pulled a name out of a hat and heaped abuse on one particular guy who is moving towards the end of his PGA Tour career, saying it would be from his son.” DLIII is not David Toms…or Chad Campbell…Azinger isn’t playing anymore….Lehman barely.
How insane would they have to be to take the Summer off of the PGA tour to play around Europe. This isn’t a vacation – this is their business. This is how they make their living.
I’m not saying that it doesn’t sound like a wunnerful way to spend a Summer – travelling with the Euro Tour caravan with the family in tow, but here’s the thing – they aren’t there to do touristy things. They are there working for 6 days. They aren’t at the course for 4 1/2 hours like we are for a friendly round of golf – they are there 6 to 8 hours a day practicing and learning the course, getting ready to play for as much money as they can make.
How many of the Euro Tour guys do you see with famiies every week for several months at a time ? None. Why would you say that American players SHOULD do the travelling ? How many Europeans on the PGA Tour take their families with them around from week to week ? NONE.
Why SHOULD they travel around the world ? The world comes to them. They are already playing on the best tour in the world making the best money. This idea that Tiger and Phil are “statesmen” of golf and are playing in Asia and Australia the next few weeks out of the goodness of their hearts is BS. They are travelling because the paycheck is right.
Why do players from around the globe come to the US to play ? The answer is very simple…the MONEY is better here. If they could stay home and make the same money they make here – they WOULD. But they can’t, so they come here.
Why do I take that literally ? Because the question came from fantasy land and needed a rope back to reality.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Interesting article
Euro Tour players have no option but to travel to different countries with foreign food, culture, languages, etc. Not sure they take their families once the kids are at school, however, and not sure how much of the culture the players & families take in anyway.
Bit like business trips? Airport, hotel, office, hotel, airport, although they could probably afford to spend a few more days in situ rather than dashing back to work unlike we drones.
USA is such a vast country with so much travel involved on the tour that most of the players probably can’t wait to get some home time. Also your suggestion involves quite a sacrifice on the part of the players’ wives. Involves living out of suitcases for months in hotels (palls pretty quickly). Rent a home in one country – no family or friends for support, homesick, kids whining, etc.
I do like your idea in theory though, and would have thought a few adventurous souls would take advantage of opportunities available to them to see more of the world.
Exactly, Wendy. And there ARE a few “adventurous souls” as you nicely called them that pack up everything and head overseas to ply their trade. One even won a major – Todd Hamilton in 2004. He spent years in Asia and Europe. Why ? Because he couldn’t get his PGA Tour card.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
So
Todd Hamilton does not meet my definition of “adventurous soul” – more a matter of “needs must when the devil drives”. I actually thought DLIII was a good example as he has lifetime exemption on US Tour (I think) and he certainly wouldn’t have trouble with invites to Euro Tour.
On the same subject, was a little disappointed to read that AK (tho’ glad he accepted) was 8th USA choice to play in Spain last week – understandable if all others already going to Shanghai perhaps.
Todd Hamilton did NOT win a major, the major
won him. Everyone else was in a magic spell Boo Weekley accidentally spread, when he spilled some ‘White Lightning’ moonshine on Saturday night. It was an aberration.
Wendy, the U.S. used to send it’s best players. Arnie and Jack played often. Freddie and Davis were killers in world team type events. These guys already have a few $mill in the bank by fall and they are tired…
...from the land of pleasant living, Baltimore.
by One-Eyed Golfer Guy on Nov 2, 2009 1:16 PM EST reply actions
Mmmm
I think that could be said of Ben Curtis, but Todd Hamilton did beat Ernie in a several -hole playoff – he could/should have folded but didn’t.
I have lived & worked abroad several times (& married Johnny Foreigner to boot!)
and was just picking up on your view that the rewards of these experiences are more than monetary. Only wish my family could have afforded foreign trips when I was younger.
CG – not sure if you’re teasing me… but ’twas I who was disappointed that all the higher-ranked Americans turned down the invite. AK and I were both happy he accepted. ….. for various reasons.
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