Illini Golfers in the Pros

#551      
Rough day for our boy Detry. Started in first but shot +5 and ended up tied for 13th...ouch
Yep...pressure of leading on Saturday night probably got to him...like it does many professionals. He shot 40 on back nine. The other co-leader shot +4 so they probably fed off each others problems. Learning experience.
 
#555      
Nick not having a productive weekend...
-2 on Saturday, +2 after 9 holes on Sunday. Falling down the leaderboard.
 
#560      

WWWWRocU

Herndon, VA
Maybe I'm stating the obvious? But pro golf doing pro football a favor by finishing their tournament a day early so as not to interfere with the playoff games on Sunday. So make sure you tune into Torrey Pines the next 2 days.
 
#562      
Hardy seems to be the king of making the cut right on the number. Beats the heck out of missing by one. :D
Does making the cut mean the trip pays for itself, and not making the cut means the golfer lost money by playing the tournament? Could I make a living, for example, regularly making the cut and finishing dead last from there? I'm not saying that's my retirement plan :LOL:...I guess I'm just unfamiliar with the economics of professional golf.
 
#563      
Does making the cut mean the trip pays for itself, and not making the cut means the golfer lost money by playing the tournament? Could I make a living, for example, regularly making the cut and finishing dead last from there? I'm not saying that's my retirement plan :LOL:...I guess I'm just unfamiliar with the economics of professional golf.

There are probably folks on this thread with more knowledge of actual income and expenses, but I will take a stab. The last place finisher last week earned ~16.5k. There are quite a few expenses with travel, caddy, coaches, etc., so I doubt finishing last consistently is a good living. That said, the money goes up quite a bit when you finish higher.

Hardy is having a really good season so far with only one missed cut. This season started in September, and he'll be over 500k in earnings after cashing this week. Detry is having a great season, and is already over 1m. Tons of pressure always, but if you can execute consistently it can be a very, very good living.
 
#564      
Does making the cut mean the trip pays for itself, and not making the cut means the golfer lost money by playing the tournament? Could I make a living, for example, regularly making the cut and finishing dead last from there? I'm not saying that's my retirement plan :LOL:...I guess I'm just unfamiliar with the economics of professional golf.
Fun scenario but you wouldn't make money or be on the tour for a long period just making the cut and finishing last. There are a few tourneys that don't have a cut.

Tourney fees

Travel fees

Caddie fees-Depends on golfer/caddie agreement. Majority get paid a certain amount per tournament whether they make or miss the cut. Plus if you make the cut they get a % of your winnings.

Lasting on tour means making a bunch of cuts with finishes all over the board or doing real well in a handful of tourneys if you miss a bunch of cuts. Also depends on the tournament and payouts as they vary greatly.

Just make sure you make a bunch of cuts, win one for me and lock up an endorsement deal ;)
 
#565      
Fun scenario but you wouldn't make money or be on the tour for a long period just making the cut and finishing last. There are a few tourneys that don't have a cut.

Tourney fees

Travel fees

Caddie fees-Depends on golfer/caddie agreement. Majority get paid a certain amount per tournament whether they make or miss the cut. Plus if you make the cut they get a % of your winnings.

Lasting on tour means making a bunch of cuts with finishes all over the board or doing real well in a handful of tourneys if you miss a bunch of cuts. Also depends on the tournament and payouts as they vary greatly.

Just make sure you make a bunch of cuts, win one for me and lock up an endorsement deal ;)
I appreciate the insight, and it was a fun thought experiment. I could never be a pro golfer even if I had the swing.

I once worked at a club and played golf every day. One round I got paired with a young guy trying to make it in one of the tours, and his father. The son was easily the best golfer I've ever played with, and once I saw his game I could help him pick the right lines, since the course benefited from local knowledge. Waiting to tee off, I asked the father if the difference his son needed to break through was one big thing or a bunch of little things. He said 'a million little things'.

That's why I could never be a pro golfer. Always something to worry about. It might be fun to practice when my living isn't on the line, but if the list never gets shorter, it has got to stop being fun. Especially with a mortgage. I'd rather be the caddie. Earn less and have a lot more fun!
 
#570      
Anyone know why Pieters isn't playing in UAE
I don't have definite answer but he tends to join events on PGA Tour in late February early March lately. I don't follow the European Tour thoroughly so I don't know what schedule is ahead in the next month. My guess is he might be taking a few weeks off and will pop up at a PGA Tour event. Play in a month or so of tourneys before The Masters.
 
#571      

FlyNavy

Los Angeles
Pretty good first round for Hardy at -4 and tied for 13th.

Detry at -1 and tied for 61st.

I've attended a few of these in the past, the three courses definitely vary in difficulty. D.A. and Detry played the hardest course (Spyglass), and none of them played the easiest yet (Monterey Peninsula). Everyone is guaranteed three rounds to play all courses, with the top 60 (I think) getting through to Sunday at Pebble.

The Pro-Am aspect is great for the fans - D.A. always pairs up with Bill Murray, as has been the annual tradition since they won a while back. We used to follow them around for a few holes, Murray is so much fun to watch out there.

Best of luck to all three Illini!
 
#575      

whatahack

St. Peters MO
Good news...bad news. Detry made the cut at -4, 12th place. Hardy struggled at +5.