Forced Off Duke’s Varsity Golf Team, Giuliani’s Son Files a Lawsuit

His dad made it big in politics, but Andrew Giuliani’s dreams veer toward a career as a professional golfer, he explained as he smacked golf balls Thursday on Randalls Island, which is one reason, he said, that he sued Duke University and its head golf coach for pushing him off the varsity team this spring...

...In the lawsuit, he acknowledged that he may have misbehaved in February when he tossed an apple in a teammate’s face, flipped his putter a few feet, threw and broke a club and gunned his engine in a parking lot...

...An e-mail message to Andrew Giuliani from five of the players, dated April 9, explained that they preferred that he leave the team. “The coaches have had no part in this,” they wrote....

...In six rounds last year, according to the Duke Web site, Andrew Giuliani averaged 74.5 strokes per round, scores that put him in the bottom half of the 14-person team....

Don’t you just love the silverspoon mentality?

I know a young man who was recruited out of HS to play for a college team that has some 25+ NCAA championships in men's golf. The rigors these players must exhibit is phenomenal. Not only must they maintain a better than passing GPA, they have to be physically fit and mentally sharp, besides contribute to the team morale. Just wondering which of these qualities "Precious Little Snowflake" Andrew failed to exhibit.

Not only is college golf extremely competitive, but you only need one or two bad games and the coach is eyeing you to kick you off the first team.

Then down the road, I’ve seen the men who try to make the PGA event qualifiers. Many of them came out of college golf programs. Many of them wear tattered clothing, live out of a beat-up trailer or car; a few drag their families along. It’s a pretty poor and humbling life. But they hope to get a break; sometimes they need more than one to get a card.

After all this rambling, my point is this, you can’t buy your way into the PGA [if that’s your goal.] It has to be earned with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. There are so many excellent golfers out there that you need to be extremely talented to make it into the top tier. No amount of money can buy that. Only hard work and phenomenal talent can earn you a spot.

But then the Giulianis didn't ask me. ;-D

I apologize for feeling the need to ask this, but not having much knowledge of the PGA, is a college degree required for one to be a member, pro golfer? I was not aware that all the guys on the tour had a B.A. or B.S. in GOLF from some uni or other.

I don't really know what the requirements are, but I suspect that if he isn't one of the top players on his college team, he's not going to make the tour.

No you don't need a degree. But it can take years to qualify.

What happens to a lot of players though, is that once they get their PGA card, they go to work at a golf course. And many times the golf course requires a college degree or a lot of experience in the game. The degree is helpful because golf is a business.

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