Biggest jerk on the tour?

[EGTinCup]

Top three tool-boxes:

Bubba Watson

Tom Pernice Jr.

Robert Allenby

[Bullitt5339]

Originally Posted by EGTinCup

Top three tool-boxes:

Bubba Watson

Tom Pernice Jr.

Robert Allenby

Nah, I met Bubba Watson in person and he's a nice guy.  He is just a little "mental", so on the course he has to keep in the moment.  I used to think the same thing until I got to talk to him for a few minutes.  He was a jerk a few years ago when he first joined the tour, but his demeanor and behavior have improved a lot in the past 2 years.

I still think he caught a bad rap when he went off on Elkington a couple years ago.  Elkington deserved it.

[bwdial]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

None

I think for some, and especially like someone like Tiger, not doing something as simple as tipping the cap is a result of two things: 1) If he tips it once, he'd have to tip it 100 more times. It'd never stop. 2) Even tipping it once takes him out of his concentration mode for a few seconds. We can marvel at how focused Tiger is or we can want him to tip his cap once or twice (which means 100s of times) - we can't have both. Tiger's walked past his wife and not seen her - he's just that focused. Especially since you know what his wife looks like...

Boy... in retrospect that really is hilarious.

[tjdean]

Allenby for sure is a jerk. What about Tom Pernice?  Never perceived him as being a jerk?

[n8dogg2669]

Justin Leonard is a jerk. I met him at the Buick Open years ago and he had to be the biggest a-hole I have met. I watched him scold a little kid because he had a sharpie and a hat asking him for an autograph and he didnt want to get marker on his shirt. I can understand not wanting to get marker on your shirt, but to scold a 10 year old kid asking for an autograph seemed way out of line. It made me lose all respect for him at that very moment.

I will say on the opposite end of the spectrum, I met Payne Stewart at the Buick Open years prior and I was absolutely impressed with the way he acted and how he interacted with fans. Outside of the scoring trailer there was a sidewalk lined with a white fence that lead to the media tent. He signed every single item for everyone in line except for golf balls. He said it had to do with his sponsorship. Multiple times a media rep came to get him so he could do his press conference and multiple times Payne told the guy he would be there when he finished signing autographs. It has to be one of my most vivid memories I have of being around a celebrity or professional athlete. Payne was a great man, it's a shame he left us so early.

[bwdial]

As for the "biggest jerk on Tour"... it has to be the dork that yells "GREAT SHOT insert golfer's name here !!!" the split second impact is made on the tee box.

"GREAT SHOT PHIL!"  Really?  You mean the tee shot that just careened off the grand... errr... patron viewing platforms... behind the fourth green and wound up in Vidalia was a "great shot"?  I'd give every Tour pro a free pass to tell autograph seeking children to go to hell if we could just put a muzzle on that guy.

[GJBenn85]

Originally Posted by bwdial

As for the "biggest jerk on Tour"... it has to be the dork that yells "GREAT SHOT insert golfer's name here !!!" the split second impact is made on the tee box.

"GREAT SHOT PHIL!"  Really?  You mean the tee shot that just careened off the grand... errr... patron viewing platforms... behind the fourth green and wound up in Vidalia was a "great shot"?  I'd give every Tour pro a free pass to tell autograph seeking children to go to hell if we could just put a muzzle on that guy.

I want to muzzle the idiots that yell "GET IN THE HOLE!!!" after every shot, even on a par 4 or 5 where it is quite clear the tee shot will not go anywhere near the hole.  Friggin' obnoxious dolts.

[allin]

I think at some point everyone is considered a jerk.  These guy have so much pressure on them to sign this take pictures do all this crap and when ever they leave someone  feels left out. Phil probably does the best job if this but I am pretty sure after signing stuff 30 minutes after a round h has to lave at some point and when he does the people waiting for 30 minutes plus get all pissed off because they didn't get their chance.  I wouldn't speculate on who's a jerk and who isn't.  I am sure most of these guys are great when they are in their element and don't have 50 people pulling at them to take a picture or sign just one thing.  That would get old pretty fast.

Of course, being a celebrity can have a high cost especially with cell phones and internet. Besides golf responsibilities everyone has family or other personal issues. These guys are on duty any time they are in public. I had a friend, now deceased, who was a famous singer songwriter. When not performing he was quiet and shy. Touring was really tough because unless he stayed in his hotel if he was seen anywhere and recognized someone would call a local radio station and he would quickly have up to 50 people, most of whom meant well, wanting a small bit of his time. If you have guards and such it draws attention and in some ways makes it worse, people react negatively to them.

[Motley01]

Geeezus. Justin Leanord is a jerk? I would have never guessed that one. I've seen him play before, not never saw him interact with the fans.

Friendliest guy on tour. Got to be Phil Mickelson. He is so great with his fans. In interviews, he is always very appreciative. Always gives the media well thought out answers.

I have been a Phil fanatic fan since I first saw him in 1993, when he won The International at Castle Pines, when he blew away the field with a whopping +45 points. Yes the stableford system!

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by allin

I had a friend, now deceased, who was a famous singer songwriter. When not performing he was quiet and shy. Touring was really tough because unless he stayed in his hotel if he was seen anywhere and recognized someone would call a local radio station and he would quickly have up to 50 people, most of whom meant well, wanting a small bit of his time.

I love this sort of comment.

There is no reason in the world not to identify this person - it's not as if you're saying anything negative. On the contary, in fact. And noone knows who you  are, so it's not as if you're going to be accused of name dropping.

It's a little like when someone says they're in the "medical profession". You can be sure as hell they're niot a doctor.

But...you are right, problem is, if Tiger stops walking for 2 seconds and starts signing, he's suddenly swamped.

I did notice Els signing a million autographs after he mssed the cut last week. Quite impressive that.

[allin]

I love this sort of comment. There is no reason in the world not to identify this person - it's not as if you're saying anything negative. On the contary, in fact. And noone knows who you  are, so it's not as if you're going to be accused of name dropping. It's a little like when someone says they're in the "medical profession". You can be sure as hell they're niot a doctor. But...you are right, problem is, if Tiger stops walking for 2 seconds and starts signing, he's suddenly swamped. I did notice Els signing a million autographs after he mssed the cut last week. Quite impressive that.

I didn't identify my friend because it tends to invite OT posts, either about their career, or those who know bigger celebrities and want to have the topper. If I posted about my deceased father or non celebrity friends would you want their names also.? I was just identifying where my perspective originated, and my potential bias because of that friendship.

[Bruce LaBrecque]

Phil Mickelson is very good with fans on the course....don't know if it is an act or not....but I saw an incident that convinced me that he is one of the smartest and PR savy Tour players. At the BMW at Cog Hill, my buddy and I were watching the courtesy cars dropping the various players off at the designated spot between the driving range and putting green. The players were funneled thru a narrow walkway, where fans lined both sides for about 10 yards and players were hounded for autographs. Some signed, some walked past without signing. I noticed one car drive past the others and head for a spot at the far side of the putting green....the door opened and Phil bounced out. He hopped a small fencepost surrounding the green, cut across the green and entered the driving range...bypassing the regular players entrance and not encountering fans. Genius. I assume he didn't want to sign autographs before his round, but didn't want to blow off the fans by walking by and ignoring their requests...and getting bad press and getting a bad rep with the fans.

Nicest guy I've met on tour-David Frost.

Grumpiest acting guys-Vijay, Angel Cabrera, Scott Hoch, Curtis Strange.

Strange was recently quoted when asked about his biggest regret on tour- said he wished he had been friendlier with fans...or something close to that. At least he acknowledges that he was a douche.

Tom Watson....looked at me at the old Western Open on the 16th tee and winked and nodded. Pretty nice since most players totally ignored the fans. Of course I realized shortly after that I was standing next to a very attractive young lady who he must have thought I was with. Think Tom had an eye for the women.

[ajst22]

Tiger. I have never liked him before the affair. He throws and smashes his clubs. He never acknowledges the crowd and doesn't let anyone take pictures (even when nothing is going on). He isn't friendly or nice. He is a sore loser. The media didn't show it a whole lot because they wanted to cover it all up because he was good for the ratings (he was popular). Tiger needs to learn how to deal with his fans, and he needs to learn how to lose gracefully. Anger can happen to really anybody on the course, but when it happens constantly, that is where the line should be drawn. This has nothing to do with Tiger's affairs and I am not criticizing him because of that right now...Woods has always been like this

[Bullitt5339]

I pretty much hate the way Tiger acted on the course, but I watched his round yesterday and was surprised to see him acknowledging the fans and smiling a lot more during that round than I've ever seen him before.  He just seemed more relaxed than I've seen him in 10 years.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by n8dogg2669

Justin Leonard is a jerk. I met him at the Buick Open years ago and he had to be the biggest a-hole I have met. I watched him scold a little kid because he had a sharpie and a hat asking him for an autograph and he didnt want to get marker on his shirt. I can understand not wanting to get marker on your shirt, but to scold a 10 year old kid asking for an autograph seemed way out of line. It made me lose all respect for him at that very moment.

That's different from my friend's experience.  My friend said one time he was doing an article for the school paper on JL when he was still a no-name college golfer at UT.  He arrived late at the range just in time to see JL packing up to leave from a practice session.  He asked if he could see him hit some balls and talk with him for a second about the article and JL said it would be fine, unpacked his clubs and stayed an extra hour or so.  Maybe the years on tour haven't been kind to him....  He also said he kept his glove nice and neat in the plastic container they sell it in and took a weird amount of time making sure he pulled it out carefully.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by EGTinCup

Top three tool-boxes:

Bubba Watson

Tom Pernice Jr.

Robert Allenby

...says the guy with one post and a Ted McGinley avatar.

[Infamous 273]

i'm sure its been said 100 times already: sabbatini and that stupid "bret michaels golf collection" hat he wears.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Infamous 273

i'm sure its been said 100 times already: sabbatini and that stupid "bret michaels golf collection" hat he wears.

I have a question: do you feel like a jerk slagging a guy's hat when he's had skin cancer once or twice already and wears the hat because it keeps the sun off more of his skin (neck, ears, etc.)?