Would you rather win The Players or an Olympic gold?

[freeze16172002]

19 minutes ago, c7015 said:

probably going to take the money 

 

however if I am an established pro (similar to Xander) no majors , few wins (enough in the bank) bright future etc , give me the gold , that lives on in history more than a players win does IMO 

 

If i'm sleeping in the back of my corolla , Monday qualifying kind of pro I'm taking the cash and the exemptions without batting an eye ...

 

 

you are not getting in the olympics if you're a monday qualifer sleeping in a car. the four top ranked american players, that want to play, arent sleeping in cars

[gvogel]

20 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

This is the bit that I don't get. I don't understand why someone would choose not to participate in the Olympics. 

 

Yes, it's a softer field than a major. Yes, it's not exactly the pinnacle of the sport.

 

But it comes around once every 4 years, and how many opportunities in your life are you going to even have the chance to walk away with an Olympic gold medal? 

 

It may not be as big of an accomplishment to many as the Masters, either Open, or even the Players, but isn't just the ability to say that you've won Olympic gold too cool of an opportunity to pass up?

 

Maybe it's not the biggest accomplishment in the sport, but I'd venture a guess that Xander is going to treasure that medal the rest of his life regardless. 

Maybe they felt that the course would be easier than a major course, and so their chances of beating the field decreased.

[Gdane]

This is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.  Its the Olympic gold medal.  Yes, you can be short-sighted and lean on the status that a Players earns you on tour, but an Olympic gold medal opens doors outside of golf that a players simply cannot do.

[DFS PFD]

9 minutes ago, Gdane said:

This is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.  Its the Olympic gold medal.  Yes, you can be short-sighted and lean on the status that a Players earns you on tour, but an Olympic gold medal opens doors outside of golf that a players simply cannot do.

Out of curiosity, what doors are those? The only Olympian I know personally was a bronze (not gold I know) medalist, and now sells my company health insurance(nothing wrong with that either, just an observation). 

Edited August 4, 2021 by DFS PFD

[tatertot]

6 minutes ago, DFS PFD said:

Out of curiosity, what doors are those? The only Olympian I know personally was a bronze (not gold I know) medalist, and now sells my company health insurance. 

Pretty obvious that this proves the point ... if the person in question had won the Gold, they'd be working for the General selling car insurance.

 

Man, do I have to spell out everything for you people.

[beckk10]

lol obviously the players. Come on. 

[tatertot]

15 minutes ago, freeze16172002 said:

you are not getting in the olympics if you're a monday qualifer sleeping in a car. the four top ranked american players, that want to play, arent sleeping in cars

Ever heard of Gavin Green?

[wjdpar1]

Easy choice - The Players.

[BHI 99]

A guy probably has a better chance of getting gals with a golf trophy than a gold medal. 

 

Just sayin.......😜

[c7015]

56 minutes ago, freeze16172002 said:

you are not getting in the olympics if you're a monday qualifer sleeping in a car. the four top ranked american players, that want to play, arent sleeping in cars

Maybe you are just the top ranked player from Slovakia...

[Tdsjfb]

Players - hands down.

[Gdane]

36 minutes ago, DFS PFD said:

Out of curiosity, what doors are those? The only Olympian I know personally was a bronze (not gold I know) medalist, and now sells my company health insurance(nothing wrong with that either, just an observation). 

 

The global marketability impact on a Tony Finau-type player winning the gold medal at an Olympics in the social media age IMO would be significant in the short term (vs a Players win), leading to a great chance at a large PIP score.    Beyond that, this could potentially spring board into a jump to one of the new leagues offering crazy $ to join.   

 

I won't venture to guess what event the bronze-winner you know personally competed in or when the medal was won, but I'd imagine based on the information you provided that their circumstances were quite different than that of an already famous professional athlete winning Olympic gold medal in hugely-popular sport.

[Golferpaul]

The Players by a wide margin.  The Players field is five times as strong as the Olympics.

[NJBigFish22]

In order to play in the olympics you need to be 1 of the top players, so money and exemptions should be taken care of.  Honestly I think Xander will make millions by winning the gold medal.  Whether he stays with Callaway or tested the waters with other OEM, or other sponsors, the fact that he won gold will make him more money.  If I was on tour and within the top 100, I would take the gold, I’m fully exempt, making $1.5 million a year, and I think I could parlay the medal into more $.

[Naptime]

The Players champion isn't on the Wheaties box IIRC.  Tiger made it but lets face it the Players is not what he's famous for.  Olympic gold is a door to an broader level of public endorsements beyond golf gear and watches and charter jets.  Gets you out of the silo.  

Edited August 4, 2021 by Naptime

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, gvogel said:

Maybe they felt that the course would be easier than a major course, and so their chances of beating the field decreased.

 

What, you don't think DJ is sitting back this week thinking "damn, I coulda beaten Xander!"

[cdnglf]

50 minutes ago, Naptime said:

The Players champion isn't on the Wheaties box IIRC.  Tiger made it but lets face it the Players is not what he's famous for.  Olympic gold is a door to an broader level of public endorsements beyond golf gear and watches and charter jets.  Gets you out of the silo.  

The wheaties box is for sprinters, gymnasts, and swimmers. Not the gold medal khaki wearer.

[DFS PFD]

58 minutes ago, Naptime said:

The Players champion isn't on the Wheaties box IIRC.  Tiger made it but lets face it the Players is not what he's famous for.  Olympic gold is a door to an broader level of public endorsements beyond golf gear and watches and charter jets.  Gets you out of the silo.  

Where's his gold medal? 

[PorkChopExpress]

So many formats and they choose individual stroke play

complete boredom for olympics and being part of the Olympic team

[Titleist99]

Winning the gold at the Olympics should get you into all the majors, Invitationals , Players and a three year exemption on tour. Do that and see how many pros try to qualify......IMO

[freeze16172002]

3 hours ago, tatertot said:

Ever heard of Gavin Green?

Is he a top ranked player from America? That's what I posted and you post a player from Maylasia . OP posted pga tour player what tour does he play on?

Edited August 4, 2021 by freeze16172002

[tatertot]

5 minutes ago, freeze16172002 said:

Is he a top ranked player from America? That's what I posted and you post a player from Maylasia . OP posted pga tour player what tour does he play on?

You said Monday Qualifiers aren't at the Summer Games ... this dude isn't from the ol' USA, but neither are a lot of members here at GolfWRX. 

[miamistomp]

1 hour ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

What, you don't think DJ is sitting back this week thinking "damn, I coulda beaten Xander!"

 He doesn't think much from what I can tell

[freeze16172002]

2 hours ago, tatertot said:

You said Monday Qualifiers aren't at the Summer Games ... this dude isn't from the ol' USA, but neither are a lot of members here at GolfWRX. 

Once again the op stated pga tour didnt think I had to state in my post monday qualifiers on the pga tour since that was the original post. I just assumed you would be able to follow along, but you win you found a abstract guy from Malaysia that hasnt played on any tour since 2018, you win yeah for you

Edited August 5, 2021 by freeze16172002

[tatertot]

28 minutes ago, freeze16172002 said:

Once again the op stated pga tour didnt think I had to state in my post monday qualifiers on the pga tour since that was the original post. I just assumed you would be able to follow along, but you win you found a abstract guy from Malaysia that hasnt played on any tour since 2018, you win yeah for you

You're right ... OP said "PGA tour pro" ... my bad. Sorry.

[bscinstnct]

I think JRose summed it up best in a recent interview…

 

 

Justin, tell us what winning the Olympic gold medal meant to you.

 

I won a gold medal in the Olympics?

 

Yes

 

When?

 

Uh (interview stammers) in Rio.

 

Are you sure? I didn’t think they had golf in the Olympics. 

[PZero]

Players. The money plus exemptions and tour card status beats out the fancy necklace.

[widow-maker]

On 8/3/2021 at 6:37 PM, From_Parts_Unknown said:

It would be really cool if Tiger could qualify for 2024 and win gold.  Just think how many gold medals that guy might have if golf had returned to being an Olympic sport by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

It would be interesting to hear from Tiger.  I wonder if he had a choice of winning the Players in 2024 or winning a gold medal in the Olympics... which one would he pick?

 

I think if Tiger would have won a gold medal, say in 2004, that the gold medal would be looked at completely different by players and fans alike. 

 

Over time, there's a chance that the gold medal may become as treasured as a major simply because of how infrequently you get the chance to win it.  A great player realistically would only get 4 chances.  Time will tell.  I wonder how Paris will fare in 3 years.  It seems like the players who actually went to Tokyo are all saying that they want the chance to do it again. 

 

To answer the OP.... I think most players right now would choose a Players Championship.  20 years from now I think they'd pick Olympic gold.  The LA Olympics could really set it off. 

[tacklingdummy]

Definitely the Player's because it insures your golf career for five years. You get five year exemption to the PGA tour and three year exemption to all the majors. If you win Olympic gold, you only get one year exemption to the majors and no exemption to the PGA tour. Silver medal only gets you exemption from local qualifying to US Open. 

Edited August 5, 2021 by tacklingdummy

[dalehead]

6 hours ago, Naptime said:

The Players champion isn't on the Wheaties box IIRC.  Tiger made it but lets face it the Players is not what he's famous for.  Olympic gold is a door to an broader level of public endorsements beyond golf gear and watches and charter jets.  Gets you out of the silo.  

An Olympic gold medal opens doors for the winner of it is in the right sport. Swimming, gymnastics, some track events. Figure skating and skiing in the winter.

 

How many doors does the Olympic gold in hammer throw open? Water polo? Equestrian? Archery? Kayaking? Or dozens or scores more sports.

 

An Olympic gold in golf will matter if the player has a larger resume in addition. Namely majors. Or multiple tour wins.

 

Xander will cash in on his gold medal. In the short term. He is young, marketable, and has untapped potential. But the gold medal will not carry him for long. He has to win multiple times, including majors, and Players. I don’t think it’s going to happen but if he doesn’t build from here the XS story will not be about a gold medal winner, but about a guy who never lived up to his potential, even though he did win gold.

 

In short, an Olympic gold medal is a resume enhancer for a success career in golf.  By itself it’s pretty meaningless.