“Best guys in college golf that are coming out, shows you college golf gets them ready."
Asher Wildman reports that Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark's great play at the Frys.com Open had the elite college field at Isleworth thinking they are all a lot better than they are and coaches thinking they were making a difference.
After talking with players, I was curious to know what a coach thought. Who better to ask then East Tennessee State coach Fred Warren, who might be the living encyclopedia of college golf?
“Doesn’t surprise me at all,” Warren said. “Best guys in college golf that are coming out, shows you college golf gets them ready. Just look at the elite players having success: Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, J.B. Holmes, Anthony Kim – these guys are playing great.”
That's who he thinks of when he thinks of college golf's ability to produce?
Jason Sobel is excited about Fowler and Lovemark, however, likely influenced by television's fawning over the two, he reminds us that next-great-thing hype usually is a waste of time.
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 09:34 PM
Reader Comments (10)
'08 Masters Champion Trevor Immelman is only 29. Turns 30 later this year.
However, take a hard look at the players in the top 100 of the world rankings. There are a lot of players from all over the world and not so many former U.S. collegiate super stars. Yes, quite a few played some college golf in the states. But, very few went out and did well right away. For most it is years of disappointment with very occasional success. If a similar hard look is taken at NCAA championship results over the past 10 - 15 years one can see a lot of names of young men who did become professionals and have yet to be seen regularly on Tour money lists.
The numbers tell the story. Collegiate players in almost every case would be wise to complete their education while developing their bodies and games before trying to compete with highly experienced professionals from all corners of the world.
Anthony Kim went to Oklahoma State for a year before turning pro.
Who skipped college ? Ty Tryon. Then there are non-Americans who skipped college - Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose. And non-American players who did go to college (here or at home) - Harrington, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood...
Wisconsin makes some good points about international players - many of whom come to the States for college - but a lot of countries have different programs for kids in their college years, and different expectations and allowances. Hard to say which one is best since there is such a mixture of American and International players in the rankings who went to college 3 or 4 years, a year or two, or not at all.
Fowler's pedigree isn't a heck of a lot different than last years graduating amateur phenom, Danny Lee. Yet, here is Fowler with a good chance to improve on his top 150 status, whereas Danny didn't make a dime in 12 PGA Tour starts and just got bumped out of the 1st round at Q school.
A lot of what happens almost defies generalizations. But if you hang around enough of these kids who've just come out of college, as I have, one thing you hear a lot from them is that golf is a totally different game for them than it was as collegians.
The weeding out process starts right away and to a large degree the ones who drop out to normal lives do it not because they aren't talented, but because they discover they just don't want it as bad as the other guys.