Player Confidential: ‘What Would Augusta National Golf Club Have To Do For You NOT To Play In The Masters?’
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
If you’re a regular visitor to this blog, you probably already know I’m a big fan of the anonymous golf pro interview/survey. The anonymity allows for refreshingly candid answers or honest insight without backlash–especially when it comes to The Masters.
ESPN.com’s Michael Collins posts a good question; “What would keep a pro from playing at the Masters?“
- “Not give me an invitation. Other than that? They would have to talk bad about my mom. … Yeah, just say something bad about my mom and we’re done. You’re dead to me.”
- “Nothing. I’m going no matter what. Maybe if they stopped playing it at Augusta National?”
- “Not have a purse.”
- “I’m going to go out on a limb here … make a standardized golf ball.”
- “[Hurt] my dog. That’d be about it. [Golfer pauses.] I think I’d still play.”
“Give me a sec to think about it … that’s a ridiculously tough question! All right, I would say, not much. There’s really almost nothing you can do to make me not want play in the Masters.
- “I wouldn’t play if they decided to make their own rules compared to what we play every day out on tour. I wouldn’t play if there was no purse. Everyone is enamored with Augusta, I’m not one of those kind of guys. I think Augusta is cool, I think it’s a cool course, but there are certain things I just don’t like about Augusta. It’s a little too “uppity.” I feel like I’m walking on eggshells there and it’s not anything mean and I don’t think they try to make it like that. I just come from a different kind of background. Not that I’m going to be disrespectful, I’m not trying to be disrespectful to the game at all. People ask me all time, ‘Have you gone up and played Augusta?’ and I said, ‘No.’ Then they’re like, ‘You going to go and practice?’ I said, ‘No. Honestly, I don’t want to go there to practice. The vibe is different for me.”
- “Within reason, there’s nothing they could do to prevent me from playing. That’s a silly question, man. That’s a silly question! … Politically, there’s nothing. Socially, there’s nothing. There’s nothing. I’m shameless. You know, politically, just because I’m playing in a tournament, their views would not be my views. … If it just was an exhibition, I’d still play. And I take a PGA Tour event off to do it. Take the green jacket away. That’s how special that place is.”
- “It’s the Masters! I’m mean, seriously. If they told me the only way that I could play was to wear a pink tutu? Fit my fat a– up for one!”
So there ya go. Even “John Wicking” your pet dog wouldn’t be enough to prevent most pros from showing up at Augusta.
