Picking your favorite golfers - how and why

Pretty new to golf, and finding it hard to establish what players to like and dislike. Not a whole lot of personality to sway my decisions, which leaves me feeling like the new guy on the bandwagon because the best players take all the commentary. So if I say I am a Steve Stricker or Dustin Johnson fan it's probably because they've taken 90% of the media coverage I might have caught during the last 3 weeks. Have to admit I love how tiger lays all that emotion out on the course, which to me means he really loves the game, and there's nothing better than seeing the triple arm pump oafter a 20 ft birdie putt.

So...you are asking others who you should like?

Give it some time. You'll have some opininions in a couple of months.

nah, I am asking where you all picked up something more than leaderboard stats to start to form an idea of who these guys are on and off the course, sorry I was probably too vague in my post.

I pick people based on their game and their attitude.....Freddy Couples is my favorite, swing is as smooth as silk, and he just seems like a great guy.....those are the fellas I like....

My 99 year old grandmother loved Tiger.....she loved him because of his incredible ability to do almost anything with a golf club.....she's no longer a fan - she's a bit old school and doesn't like tomfoolery

Obviously, finding favorite golfers doesn't happen overnight. Over time you form opinions on all the pros (that get tv time) if you watch regularly. Going to see a PGA tournament live is one way you can really learn a lot about how these guys conduct themselves inside and outside the ropes (stuff that doesn't end up on camera). You can see if the guy slams clubs, curses, signs autographs, interacts with the gallery, and a bunch of other stuff. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend going to a practice round because you can get right up there and even chat with some of these guys. I also like to watch the interviews of the player to see how they handle the media. One good thing about Tiger being absent a little while (hopefully only a little while) is that the average viewer at home gets to see some of the other talent on tv. I am a fan of Tiger the golfer because he is just so exciting to watch and has taken the game to a whole new level. I don't like anything else about him, but he is simply amazing out there. I like Anthony Kim and interacted with him a little bit at a tourney in NJ. The internet is another place to learn about players you are interested in. I stumbled upon Bubba Watson's youtube channel and pull for him now since I found him to be really down to earth and funny. The guy makes corny trick shot videos and answers to every single twitter message sent by fans.

Thanks joe, I found the pgatour player bio's, not much there though. I see the Champions tour is coming to Denver, might try and make it out there.

AK baby all the way, mainly because he is in my age range, has an awesome personality and doesnt mind telling people what he thinks (see allenby after presidents cup) and the dude is super talented!

I have always been a Sergio Garcia fan. I know he has an attitude and I don't like the way he carries himself on the course sometimes, but I love his passion for the game. It just stinks that he is on the other Ryder Cup team. I have always loved his swing and the way he plays. I'm a TMaG fan so that helps too! My other favorites are Sean O'Hair, AK, and Dustin Johnson.

For all time golfers, it is definitely Jack Nicklaus. When I was about 8 years old, my dad took me to the Senior Players Championship at TPC Michigan. We were waiting for him to come out of the clubhouse to make his way over to #1. When he came out, all the reporters and everyone else rushed at him. There were so many people around him. He somehow saw me and said, "Let the little guy through." I made my way to him and he autographed my program. Being that young, I knew who he was but didn't really understand how great he was. Now looking back on that, I just have so much respect for the man and the way he played the game. He is truly the greatest of all time.

I like guys like Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Scott Hend and J.B. Holmes....I am more prone to watch the power hitters in the game just to see if I can pick anything up to incorporate into my game.

Tiger all the way.

His competitiveness and desire is matched by no one else. He's not out there to be content w/ a nice paycheck and go home. He's out there to win, period.

1. Tiger Woods
1 1/2. David Duval
2. Stewart Cink
3. Steve Stricker

Duval would be number 1 if he competed regularly and was a threat every tournement, but what can I say, I never get to watch Tiger anymore...

Golf magazines and interviews are good resources.

My favorite is Davis Love III.

Hes not a real contender anymore but he still has one of the best swings both asthertically and technically and also is a genuine nice guy. Freddie Couples has to be the man to route for on the Champions Tour.

On the current tour i like Trevor Immelman only because Ive played with him and also I like Old Lefty (Phil) as I just love his go for broke attitude and sense of enjoyment he brings to his game.

I love to watch Tiger play. I think it's the killer instinct. As for the rest of my top 5:

2. Jerry Kelly
3. Anthony Kim
4. Stewart Cink
5. Paul Goydos

Golfer I'd most like to meet. Lee Trevino

Im a fan of all the golfers who went to Clemson, so I like to follow Glover, Trahan, Byrd, Kyle Stanley and a couple others. I also follow other guys from the state of SC (Dustin Johnson, Bill Haas, etc.). Growing up I was a Fred Couples fan, I just love his swing. And then there's whoever I picked on my fantasy team for the week. It adds extra excitement when you have 1 or 2 guys in contention in the final round that you picked. I had Glover at SBS(didnt work out so great), Haas at the Bob Hope and Dustin Johnson/JB Holmes at Pebble Beach.

I like Paddy Harrington. His humble attitude and obvious enjoyment of golf coupled with his skill make it easy for me to root for him. He's always smiling and happy to be playing golf for millions of dollars, as if the realization keeps hitting him.

I like Tiger as a golfer. It is fun to watch him come storming back up the leader boards.

Some of the younger players that I find interesting are Ryan Moore, Alvaro Quiros, and Rory McILroy.

1. Paul Lawrie British open champ in 199
2. Richie Ramsay won his first tour event earlier this season

Both because they are my local golfers

I am the same way. Living close to Clemson, I follow a lot of the guys who come through here, and I follow the in state guys as well.

Besides that, I like people who are risk/reward type players.