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Short lived sucsess or long term second?

What would you rather have?

  • Career Grand Slam in a five year career

    Votes: 9 40.9%

  • Top five in every event you enter over 20 years

    Votes: 13 59.1%
  • Total voters
    22
billyh

billyh

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The most overrated thread got me thinking about players that either can't close it out, or just don't. So the question is, If you were a tour pro, would you rather have a career Grand Slam in a short 5 year career, or have a 20 year career with no wins but every tournament you entered be a top five finish? Take a short career with glory, or a long career with a lot of money, number one golf ranking, but no wins? I could go without a green jacket and be considered an under achiever. How about you?
 
Shoot, I'd take a top 25 every tournament for 20 years and be a happy multimillionaire. 😎
 
Wins. If the 20 year career had wins sprinkled in I’d go with that, but no wins? I’d go for the short burst of glory.
 
Long term runner up... not win and still get paid(y)
 
I think I would take the Career Grand Slam over 5 years. That would get you some crazy endorsements I'm sure that would pay out pretty well. You would also be remembered forever along with being able to play at The Masters every year for a long time.
 
This is an interesting question. As playing professional golf is about making the benjamins, I would go top 5 in every event over 20 years. I feel like that would make more money than the short lived success.
 
Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse - I voted career slam in 5 years. Sure, you'd make more money in the long run doing it the other way, but who remembers who finishes second?
 
They don't fit the options exactly, and I went back a ways to take current player emotion out of it, but one way to look at this is:

Would you rather be David Duval or Tom Kite?
 
I'd be more than happy with a career such as Charles Howell III
 
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Top 5s for every tournament played for 20 years is enticing. Especially for the money. But, I would also be labeled the "best golfer to never. ....."

I voted for the Grand Slam.

If I won the Grand Slam, people would remember me more so, than just being a consistent winner. Also, having at least 4 different majors under my belt, would mean the money (winnings & endorsements) wouldn't be that bad either. That, and I'd be in a small, select group of golfers who won the GS.
 
Grand Slam. Not even close.
 
grand slam easy. After those five years I wouldn’t have to worry about anything money wise ever again haha. Rory didn’t win the grand slam yet but he won enough majors and dude is 31 with no financial worries since he was 26 ish?

then either retire or just play as I see fit
 
I’m in for the Grand Slam. Hey 5 years with those wins is plenty of money. Not to mention the endorsement deals.
 
Career Grand Slam in 5 years without a doubt. After that cushy analyst job on NBC, membership at pick the course playing cash games, Monday Pro-AM circuit collecting those appearance checks, travel to wherever I wanted, and maybe design a golf course or two.
 
Glory is one thing, money is another. I vote money
 
Gotta be the grand slam, yoiu could live off the memories alone
 
I’ll take the long career. That also suggests that there aren’t any injuries during that timeframe.
 
Career Grand Slam - take the money and run. They play golf just for fun.
 
Last years Masters payed out just over $2M to the winner, 5th place got a cool $403,000. So just roughly if every major gets you $2m that's going to be $8M for the 4 majors, if you finish top 5 and make on average $400k per finish you can make that $8M in one year of events.
I will take the 20 year career and top 5 finishes for every event I play in and be happy.
 
There's a guy on Tour who graduated from a local high school,, Jason Kokrak. He's gotten close a few times, but has never won. A lot of the commentators think he has enough talent to win. All he does is make cuts, and finish in the money. I think he won $2.6 Mill on tour last season. That's not a bad living. And he's usually over $2 Mill in winning every year.
 
honestly? coming that close and never getting the w would probably eat at me. sure, the week to week runner-up paychecks would help ease the pain and provide a comfortable life but man - to go down in the books as one of a handful to own the career grand slam? that gets my vote.
 
I'd take the long career of top 5s, and wallow around in my money like Scrooge McDuck. If you have any kind of personality there would be plenty of sponsors lining up for you to supplement those Tour checks, too. Finishing top 5 in every single event you entered over 20 years would still be a freaking stellar career. People could call me whatever they wanted, I'd be sitting there smiling and nodding as I counted my dough.
 
top 5 in every event for 20 yrs...that's easy, career money.
 
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