In men’s golf, you don’t see the players skipping college to turn pro, or turning pro as teenagers. Ty Tryon, who became famous for flaming out, deterred most other young players from turning pro too early. Most good male players like Patrick Cantlay of UCLA will stay in college one or two years, and that’s enough. After success in college and pro events, they want to strike while the iron is hot.
Men’s pro golf has a bigger pool of good players, so when you jump in, you have to be ready. I’m of the camp that college golf is a fantastic opportunity for every player to learn how to win in a safe environment. You’re not playing to pay your bills. When you’re playing in pro events as an amateur, the other players don’t think you are trying to take their money. A player who has won in juniors, amateurs and college against peers will be confident turning pro. Skipping one of those steps is a risk.
You think back on Matt Kuchar after he won the U.S. Amateur and played well in the Masters — many people expected him to turn pro. He surprised me by staying at Georgia Tech. He struggled as a pro, but now look at him. That decision didn’t hurt him after all.
Women’s golf doesn’t have as many crash-and-burn stories like Ty Tryon. It’s much more common to see players like Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson be successful at a young age. The likelihood of 16-year-old star Lydia Ko going to college is minimal. Young players will take the chance to maximize endorsements instead of rolling the dice on a college career.
Michelle Wie did not win as a pro right off. She has great talent, but some people argue she never had the killer instinct that you get by learning to win at the lower levels.
Women’s college golf has become more competitive, too, just like women’s college basketball. There’s more talent and the game has become deeper each year. When the national championship is played at the University of Georgia, a half dozen teams have a chance to win, and you couldn’t say that five years ago.
In college, if you don’t win, it’s not the end of your career. You still get an education, have time to grow up and become a reasonable adult. Golfers who turn pro early, and don’t make it, don’t have a lot to fall back on.
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