Greg Norman Says Players Content with Top 20s over Wins

[Patch]

I think this is a pretty fair statement by Norman.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/greg-norman---certain-players---would-rather-be-a-sheep-031104998-golf.html

[newtogolf]

I'm having a tough time believing a pro doesn't want to win and collect the top money because it's just easier to finish Top 20.

I can understand not going for the win by taking a high risk shot that could drop them down a few slots in a tight tournament.  I don't call that being a sheep, I call it smart decision making.

[billchao]

Or maybe the quality of competition has gotten so high that it's nust harder to win on the PGA Tour now. Seriously, he sounds a bit like a homer making homer comments. If we're going to speculate on whether a player has enough "drive to win" based on their record, I would have lumped Jason Day into that mix. I guess he was happy enough with his two major wins that he didn't want to win any more ;-)

[skydog]

He definitely sounds like a homer with his praise for Day and Scott...

That said,  I do think there's some truth to his words and I've heard several recent tour players (Feherty being one) express this idea about their own careers. Playing with the lead and in true contention on Sunday carries a great deal of responsibility, and in a lot of cases, disappointment that can lead to a lot of mental scar tissue. Over time, some players consciously or subconsciously basically seek to avoid this responsibility by not getting themselves in contention and prefer to be the guy just out of the mix on Sunday who collects a nice Top 20 check. Obviously this is far from everyone on tour but I think it's fair to say a decent number of guys carry this psyche.

[Shorty]

I guess he was happy enough with his two major wins that he didn't want to win any more

World #1 for 331 weeks.

[Golfingdad]

I'm having a tough time believing a pro doesn't want to win and collect the top money because it's just easier to finish Top 20.

I can understand not going for the win by taking a high risk shot that could drop them down a few slots in a tight tournament.  I don't call that being a sheep, I call it smart decision making.

My first take as well.  Perhaps, though, in his mind , there is a certain amount of dedication required, i.e. a certain way to practice or amount of practice he feels is required to label somebody as "hungry" and some current pros don't do it that way.

But calling them sheep is kind of a jerk move.

[nevets88]

Yahoo used the original article to make clickbait, the original title was:

Greg Norman: The Shark’s Take on the Tour’s Young Players

The longtime top-ranked Norman likes McIlroy, Day, Scott, Stenson, Spieth

http://www.wsj.com/articles/greg-norman-the-sharks-take-on-the-tours-young-players-1425092028

[billchao]

Yahoo used the original article to make clickbait, the original title was:

[SIZE=18px]Greg Norman: The Shark’s Take on the Tour’s Young Players[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12px]The longtime top-ranked Norman likes McIlroy, Day, Scott, Stenson, Spieth[/SIZE]

[URL=http://www.wsj.com/articles/greg-norman-the-sharks-take-on-the-tours-young-players-1425092028]http://www.wsj.com/articles/greg-norman-the-sharks-take-on-the-tours-young-players-1425092028[/URL]

Yea, that's completely different. Way to take something out of context and manipulate it, Yahoo.

[Golfingdad]

Yea, that's completely different. Way to take something out of context and manipulate it, Yahoo.

I don't think its that different or out of context.  It was CERTAINLY manipulated and truncated for the sake of clicks, but when you read the longer article, Normans sentiment doesn't change.

My opinion of Yahoo doesn't change because it was already as low as can be, but my opinion of Normans comments don't change either.

[billchao]

I don't think its that different or out of context.  It was CERTAINLY manipulated and truncated for the sake of clicks, but when you read the longer article, Normans sentiment doesn't change. My opinion of Yahoo doesn't change because it was already as low as can be, but my opinion of Normans comments don't change either.

Ok, completely different may have been a stretch, but Norman's praise for other golfers makes him less of a homer in my eyes. I still disagree with his assertion that more people aren't winning because they don't want to.

[MSDOGS1976]

I think a lot of newcomers are happy with top 20 finishes. Many are just trying to get established and make enough money to hold onto their tour cards. Perhaps some of those carry that mindset with them throughout their career. But I have to believe most want to win once established on tour.

[jbishop15]

Any time someone calls another someone a sheep, I immediately disregard the comments. It's a useful rule of thumb, I've come to find. But on his comments: it's hard as hell to succeed out there, precisely because of the amount of money to be made. It's harder because the talent pool is deeper. People go would've given up golf for other pursuits now keep pursuing it.

[Ernest Jones]

Ho hum. Another Greg Norman splash. He never met a microphone he didn't like.

[phan52]

Or maybe the quality of competition has gotten so high that it's nust harder to win on the PGA Tour now.

Seriously, he sounds a bit like a homer making homer comments. If we're going to speculate on whether a player has enough "drive to win" based on their record, I would have lumped Jason Day into that mix.

I guess he was happy enough with his two major wins that he didn't want to win any more

I totally disagree with you about Day. The thing I really like abut him is that he doesn't hold anything back. I think he wants to win more than any of them out there and is willing to take risks. If anybody is going to take on Rory, it is Jason Day.

[SavvySwede]

I disagree with Norman. There have always been a number of middle of the road players that make cuts and rarely/never find the winners circle. It just seems like there were fewer of them in the past because we don't remember any of their names. The competition also wasn't as deep which allowed the potential for more multiple winners amongst the top players.

[Lastpick]

I hesitate to name Jack Nicklaus as the person who said it, but some respected pro said in the past that there were a limited number of pros that had a realistic chance of winning a tournament.  Now, in each tournament there are 100 pros that have the game to win each tournament.  The internal pressure to win has got to be almost debilitating at this level of competition.  I think everybody wants to win, but only a rare few have the actual heart of a champion.

[jamo]

Jack Nicklaus was content with second place 19 times in major championships. What a sheep. (Or, "generalizations about how much a player 'wants' to win are stupid.")

[Hammer 4]

IMHO...He may be right, to an extent. Lets face it, there are a few pro's that make a Very good living placing in the top 20, year after year, and although it may not be that they aren't driven to win, I think the money they pay out for 1 PGA tourney may be too much, i.e. you place in the top 3, and make up to 1/2 million bucks, also imho, once a player gets what he considers enough money in the bank, he may, or may not think..Hey, I've 1.3 mill so far, so maybe I'll just kinda cruise in the next 2, 3 or 4 tourney's. I'm not saying this is Fact, just my thouhts.

I would like to see the PGA, have pay outs a wee bit closer to the Euro tour pays, seems to keep most of the Pro's Hungry, as winning even a couple of  events won't put you in the million dollar category. Of course, there are exceptions. As far as I can figure, there's more than a few pro's on the PGA, who want nothing more, than to win, ya know, sorta like Tiger, Jack and other Pro's. I just think the money makes some players to relaxed about wanting to, or needing to win.

Got my flame suit on, so...let'r rip....