Posted on 06/20/2002 11:40:58 AM PDT by wallcrawlr
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - It's the familiar refrain of Grumpy Old Men: Kids these days.
No discipline.
Got things way too easy.
This wasn't a group of retirees lounging around a coffee shop, though. These were five of golf's all-time greats — Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Tom Watson, who have 212 PGA Tour victories and 51 majors among them.
The targets of their barbed comments: today's PGA players — except Tiger Woods.
"I think Tiger's the most disciplined player out there," Nicklaus said Tuesday at a news conference before the Children's Mercy Hospital Golf Classic at Blue Hills Country Club. "I don't see any other disciplined players out there."
Woods has the other players "buffaloed," Nicklaus added.
"Not once did I ever evaluate my chances against these four guys and say, 'I don't have a chance,'" he said.
Player said many golfers today are happy to finish second or third.
"I get so (ticked) off at that," he said. "The only person who remembers if you finish second is your wife and your dog — and that's if you have a good wife and a good dog."
And until other players start winning majors on a consistent basis, Palmer said, golf will continue to lack great rivalries.
" Rocco Mediate made the statement that he was not going to play the British Open because the course didn't suit his game," Palmer said, drawing a laugh from spectators as he pretended to rub away tears of sympathy. "He's one of the strongest and best strikers in the game. I helped nurse him along. I couldn't believe what I was hearing."
Mediate's attitude wouldn't have cut it in the past, Nicklaus said. In his generation, "Nobody cares what the golf course is — you take your game and you go play golf."
Blame the comfortable living that golf can provide even middling pros, the five said.
"Tiger Woods won $1 million for winning the U.S. Open," Palmer said. "The total prize money my first year on the tour (1954) was $750,000. ... If you weren't in the top one or two, in a couple of years you were back home mining coal."
Now, Player said, on the Super Senior circuit for golfers age 60 and up, "If you don't fall out of the golf cart you can make 10 grand."
When golfers of his generation turned pro, Nicklaus said, "We played the game for the game. We all said the same thing: 'If you play well, the money will take care of itself.'"
One name that came up as a possible rival to Woods was that of Phil Mickelson, who is still trying to win his first major.
"If I could just teach him to putt," Trevino said.
Watson, a Kansas City native and five-time British Open winner, has played host the charity event for 23 years.
Woods declined his invitation to play, Watson said, citing a desire to concentrate on his PGA Tour play and his own foundation work in Florida.
"He's doing what he needs to do," Watson said. "I have no problem with that."
Tuesday afternoon's 18-hole exhibition raised an additional $18,000 for the hospital, besides money raised from sponsorships and ticket sales.
Watson won six holes, Nicklaus four, Player one and the others were halved.
Talk about intimidation......geeze.
Where's Mac O'Grady when you need him?
The problem is they really dont make tv time available to watch players other than Tiger. Even if its a popular guy like Daly.
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Tiger's dad was quoted by one of the snortscasters on the Open coverage as saying that Tiger's best golf hasn't been seen yet. "Kinda scary," said the snortscaster.
As for a clean, sober John Daly...I don't think he's that hot a player sober, frankly. Alcohol removed his inhibitions and he simply strode up and took the shot. Now, he ANALYZES. Daly's game doesn't work its best when he analyzes. Oddly, he isn't nearly as accurate as he was, and not as much fun to watch, either. I'm certainly NOT suggesting that he return to "spirited" rounds of golf - just making the observation that, while he's cleaned up his dependency problem (good), its departure HAS taken away some of the color we used to enjoy watching.
Phil Mickelson is one of the best non-putters on the PGA Tour. When he DOES put well, it's early in a tournament. He's destined to be one very very very very good golfer. But I don't see him as being one of the greats. We'd have seen that greatness by now. If you haven't gotten it by your 30's, you're not likely to. To me, he'll always be a Bridesmaid golfer.
Michael
You wonder who brought that name up? I dont think Phil has consistently shown he can provide any competition to Tiger.
Michael
I will have no respect for Mr. Daly until he cleans up his act. There is no comparison between the two.
Nope, he's become the Nick "FOLD-o" of the new millenium. He's a crowd pleaser of sorts, because he IS a nice guy and plays good golf occasionally. But when you've got guys like Lee Trevino volunteering to teach you how to putt, you're not going to win too many majors. Come to think of it...
Michael
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