Will Tiger Woods still be competitive at Augusta National when he’s 60? Will Rory McIlroy eventually win the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam? Who’s the funniest player on tour? How often have you seen a player break a rule and try to get away with it? We posed these and other questions to 46 PGA Tour players, and their answers (and comments) might surprise you. Note: some players didn’t answer all the questions. Might have been the ones about marijuana and performance-enhancing drugs.
YOU GET TO CHOOSE ONE TOUR PRO TO BE ON YOUR SIDE IN A BAR FIGHT. WHO ARE YOU PICKING?
Ernie Els 27.5%
Jason Kokrak 10%
Scott Stallings 7.5%
Ricky Barnes 5%
Tony Finau 5%
Brooks Koepka 5%
Grayson Murray 5%
Shawn Stefani 5%
Gary Woodland 5%
Andres Gonzales 2.5%
Charley Hoffman 2.5%
Dustin Johnson 2.5%
Jamie Lovemark 2.5%
Robert MacIntyre 2.5%
Phil Mickelson 2.5%
Rory Sabbatini 2.5%
Vijay Singh 2.5%
Henrik Stenson 2.5%
Gary Woodland 2.5%
COMMENTS: “I’d probably pick myself because I’ve been in a bar fight.” … “I can definitely think of a few caddies I’d want on my side.”
WILL RORY McILROY EVER WIN THE MASTERS TO COMPLETE THE CAREER GRAND SLAM?
Yes 89%
No 11%
COMMENTS: “It’s not inevitable. Ask Ernie Els and Greg Norman.” … “Yes – one million percent.” … “He’ll win it when people stop asking if he’ll win it.”
WILL TIGER WIN A MAJOR IN 2020? [NOTE: These Tiger questions were posed prior to the first Major of the year]
No 60%
Yes 40%
COMMENTS: “I want to say yes, but I think the odds are against him.” … “I told my wife [before 2019] that he’d never win again. How good am I at predicting these things?”
WILL TIGER WOODS BE COMPETITIVE IN THE MASTERS UNTIL HE’S 60?
Yes 46%
No 26%
Don’t know 28%
COMMENTS: “Some guys, like Jack [Nicklaus] and Freddie [Couples], proved it can be done. If Tiger’s healthy, yes.”
WHICH MAJOR DOES TIGER HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF WINNING THIS YEAR?
Masters 88%
PGA at Harding Park 12%
Open at Royal St George’s 0%
US Open at Winged Foot 0%
COMMENT: “You would have to think he still has a chance in every Major.”
TIGER HAS AN EIGHT-FOOTER TO WIN THIS YEAR’S MASTERS. DO YOU TAKE:
Make 100%
Miss 0%
IF YOU HAD A TEE-TIME TOMORROW AT THE COURSE WHERE YOU LEARNED TO PLAY, WHAT’S YOUR BEST ESTIMATE OF WHAT YOU WOULD SHOOT?
60-64 77%
65-69 20%
59 or better 3%
70 or worse 0%
COMMENTS: “I wouldn’t break 60 unless I putted really well. But I can say that about anywhere I play.” … “I wouldn’t be trying too hard.”
EDDIE PEPPERELL WAS DQ’D LAST YEAR AFTER HE RAN OUT OF GOLF BALLS ON THE COURSE. HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR BAG AT THE START OF A ROUND, AND HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CLOSE TO RUNNING OUT?
Six to nine 60%
10 or more 40%
COMMENTS: “Mac O’Grady used to have 18 balls and number them 1 through 18 to have one on every hole.” … “I was close to running out once. I gave too many away and then hit two in the water at the last. I finished with one.” … “A lot of bad things might happen. I ain’t running out of golf balls.” … “I have three sleeves. If that’s not enough, I probably don’t belong out there.”
BEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME?
Tiger Woods 70%
Jack Nicklaus 30%
Other 0%
COMMENTS: “Until this last year, I thought it was Jack.” … “Jack might have more records and has the Major record, but Tiger played the best golf.” … “Why does it have to be either or? Why can’t we just say they’re the two best?”
WHICH SEASON WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE?
One win, but it’s a Major 95%
Three wins, but no Major 5%
COMMENT: “Come on, we all want the Major.”
CHRISTINA KIM TURNED IN LPGA CADDIES FOR SHARING CLUB SELECTION. DOES THAT HAPPEN ON THE PGA TOUR?
Never 30%
Often 4%
Rarely 4%
Sometimes 4%
Don’t know 57%
COMMENTS: “Everyone knows you can’t do that.” … “Happens all the time but really makes no difference.”
HAVE YOU WITNESSED SOMEONE BREAK A RULE AND TRY TO GET AWAY WITH IT?
Yes 52%
No 24%
Not sure 24%
COMMENTS: “Too often, sadly.” … “It happens most often when they drop closer to the hole than they should after hitting into a hazard.”
WHAT’S THE LONGEST TIME YOU’VE GONE WITHOUT SWINGING A CLUB SINCE YOU’VE TURNED PRO, NOT COUNTING INJURIES?
Several weeks 36%
A week 24%
Several days 21%
A month or more 19%
WHICH MAJOR WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO WIN?
Masters 77%
Open Championship 16%
US Open 7%
PGA Championship 0%
WHAT IS THE BEST MAJOR-CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE?
Augusta National 74%
Old Course at St Andrews 13%
Pebble Beach 8%
Muirfield 5%
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU TO WIN AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL?
Like winning a non-Major 50%
Not as important as winning a non-Major 42%
Like winning a Major 8%
COMMENTS: “Eventually that’s the fifth Major.” … “Not quite a Major, but better than any other event.”
SHOULD THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR?
No 78%
Yes 22%
COMMENT: “Only if all past Players champions are credited with a Major.”
FAVOURITE HOLE AT THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP?
Par-5 16th 30%
Par-3 17th 25%
Par-4 18th 20%
Par-5 second 5%
Par-4 fourth 5%
Par-5 ninth 5%
Par-5 11th 5%
Par-4 12th 5%
LEAST FAVOURITE HOLE AT THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP?
Par-3 17th 30%
Par-4 12th 22%
Par-4 18th 22%
Par-5 ninth 9%
Par-4 sixth 4%
Par-4 seventh 4%
Par-3 eighth 4%
Par-4 10th 4%
COMMENTS: “Seventeen is the best and the worst hole.” … “Eight is one of the worst par 3s I’ve ever seen.”
DO YOU MISS JOHNNY MILLER?
No 67%
Yes 33%
COMMENT: “Is yes and no a good answer?”
DO YOU MISS GARY McCORD AND PETER KOSTIS?
Yes 51%
No 49%
WOULD YOU MISS BRANDEL CHAMBLEE IF HE WERE OFF TV TOMORROW?
No 61%
Yes 39%
COMMENT: “Two years ago, I’d have said yes. But he’s gotten way better and backs up his opinions with good stats.”
DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF FANS BEING ABLE TO HEAR WHAT YOU AND YOUR CADDIE ARE DISCUSSING AS YOU PREPARE TO PLAY A SHOT?
Yes 8%
No 92%
COMMENTS: “I’d be OK with it – no one can understand my caddie’s accent.” … “I’m afraid they’d hate me because of all the swear words.”
NAME A COURSE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN THE SITE OF A US OPEN BUT WOULD BE A GOOD TEST.
Pine Valley 18%
Spyglass Hill 8%
Cypress Point 5%
Muirfield Village 5%
Point O’ Woods 5%
Quail Hollow 5%
Sand Hills 5%
Harding Park 2%
LA CC North (2023 site) 2%
Pinehurst No.4 2%
Quaker Ridge 2%
Seminole 2%
TPC Sawgrass 2%
Trump Bedminster 2%
Yale 2%
Don’t know 33%
WHICH CURRENT PLAYER WOULD MAKE THE BEST FUTURE COMMISSIONER?
Stewart Cink 12%
Charley Hoffman 12%
Davis Love III 12%
Phil Mickelson 12%
Paul Casey 6%
Jim Furyk 6%
Peter Malnati 6%
Mark Wilson 6%
Don’t know 28%
HOW OFTEN ARE YOU RECOGNISED OFF THE COURSE?
Often 37%
Occasionally 34%
Rarely 17%
Never 11%
COMMENTS: “It kind of depends where you are. At home is more often than on the road.”
WHICH SHOT WOULD MAKE YOU MORE NERVOUS?
Ryder Cup opening shot 93%
Six-foot putt for bogey to win a non-Major 7%
COMMENT: “Heck, any length putt to win would make me nervous.”
DOES CBD HELP A GOLFER?
Yes 25%
No 19%
Don’t know 56%
IS MARIJUANA PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING IN GOLF?
No 8%
Yes 4%
Don’t know 88%
HOW PREVALENT ARE PERFORMING-ENHANCING SUBSTANCES ON TOUR?
A little 7%
Don’t know 93%
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF AMATEURS YOU SEE IN PRO-AMS ARE PLAYING CLEARLY INFERIOR EQUIPMENT?
Most 24%
Some 8%
Not many 8%
Don’t notice 60%
HOW OFTEN DO YOU WATCH PGA TOUR EVENTS ON TELEVISION ON WEEKS WHEN YOU’RE NOT PLAYING?
Not too often 42%
Fairly regularly 33%
Never 14%
Almost all the time 11%
COMMENTS: “I’ll watch every minute I can.” … “The kids have it on, so more than I would like.”
WHO WILL WIN THE NEXT RYDER CUP AT WHISTLING STRAITS?
USA 60%
Europe 37%
Tie 3%
YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE WHERE TO PLAY YOUR LAST ROUND. WHICH DO YOU PICK?
Augusta National 62%
Old Course at St Andrews 14%
Cypress Point 10%
Pebble Beach 10%
Loch Lomond 4%
HOW OFTEN DOES A PRO-AM PARTNER TELL YOU A GOLF JOKE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE?
Rarely 60%
Never 40%
WHAT’S MORE EMBARRASSING?
Hitting a shank 67%
Four-putting 33%
COMMENTS: “A shank is way worse. Now you don’t know where the next shot is going to go.” … “Shank by far. Sometimes a four-putt might be four good putts.” … “I’ve done both.”
WHO IS THE FUNNIEST GUY ON TOUR?
Tim Herron 17%
Jason Bohn 11%
Kevin Kisner 11%
Pat Perez 11%
Henrik Stenson 11%
Chesson Hadley 6%
Phil Mickelson 6%
Boo Weekley 6%
Lanto Griffin 3%
Colt Knost 3%
Russell Knox 3%
Eddie Pepperell 3%
Carl Pettersson 3%
Harold Varner III 3%
Johnson Wagner 3%
COMMENT: “I can’t say myself; I still have some dignity.”
