Pano going pro

[MB19]

7 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

 

Danica had sex appeal.

You’re onto something.  Nobody buys Maxim if Nancy Lopez is on the cover.

[Abh159]

6 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

There is a big difference in Foolsball and Golf.

 

I once watched a well-known SEC running back walk into the training facility for a scheduled drug screen, go up to the check-in table and say "I'm not doing this today", and then walk out of the building. At no point in time did someone say anything to him or try to stop him.

 

Meanwhile, I'm literally having to sit there for hours chugging water/gatorade until I can pee in a cup because I wasn't allowed to go anywhere until I gave them my sample.

 

You are correct... There is a very, very big difference in how schools treat football players vs non-revenue generating sport players 🤣.

[tiger1873]

25 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Nelly is just now over $10,000,000, Lexi has earned just barely over $10,000,000 and those are generational players from a standpoint of skill and endorsements respectively so you are talking about high bars to reach that kind of money Tiger. 

 

Going to school vs having elite schools roll out the red carpet for you are two very different things Tiger and again the NIL market right now coupled with an elite school is the wild wild west and she could of made a ton of money, get a free education, and sharpen her golf skills against elite talent and then gone pro. Going pro vs playing in college is only mutually exclusive in one direction. Now her endorsement money is entirely tied to her as a brand. Different prospects there. 

 

I guaranty she is thinking 10 million plus for her career not anything less.   If she can be in the top 30 LPGA in 2 years school would be a waste of time.

 

To be honest most of the Top LPGA girls don't go to college because some their best years as are between 18-22.   By the time there 26-27 most them are done with playing on tour.  So College can cost them half their most productive years. 

 

[MB19]

10 minutes ago, mikedellgolf said:

Do you realize that a lot of football players at Stanford are on NCAA prop 48 (or whatever they are calling now)?

 

If Christian Mccaffrey could attend Stanford, I am sure Alexa Pano could.  The standard is even lower at USC and UCLA. 

You do realize Christian McCaffrey held a 3.43 at Stanford, right?  You do know his uncle played basketball at Duke and Vandy, right?  And his brother Dylan had a 3.97 in HS before going to Michigan, right?  This is a kid from a smart family, so your prop 48 narrative doesn’t work here.

[Bizzle80]

I cant believe how long this discussion is going. Tons of kids skipping school for pro sports...she already made it to Epson which is huge for a 17yo. Now she can focus on golf and do what she's literally been training for a decade for. I am fairly confident she and Rick have gamed out all the options, money and future paths.

 

She will be fine no matter what. Success, no success as a pro...she will earn a living in golf somewhere.

 

Who are we to say what's right or wrong? Everyone including all of us travels our own path in life.

[mikedellgolf]

5 minutes ago, MB19 said:

You do realize Christian McCaffrey held a 3.43 at Stanford, right?  You do know his uncle played basketball at Duke and Vandy, right?  And his brother Dylan had a 3.97 in HS before going to Michigan, right?  This is a kid from a smart family, so your prop 48 narrative doesn’t work here.

His father and mother attended Stanford.  Do you know his high school GPA and SAT score was?

[BloctonGolf11]

41 minutes ago, MB19 said:

Nobody knew who Danica Patrick was until she was shoved down our throats on Go-Daddy commercials.  She is was never a champion professionally, probably wasn’t considered a top-100 racer for her time if you looked all of F1, Indy/Kart, NASCAR, Moro GP and Rally.  Did she go to college?  Is she rich? Is she famous?  Has she lead an interesting existence?

 

Let me know.

Danica Patrick was a groundbreaking female driver at the height of NASCAR's popularity. She had a niche gig in an absolute money making machine that NASCAR was at that time. Also as Heavy mentioned she also traded on her sex appeal. What a joke of a comparison. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by BloctonGolf11

[BloctonGolf11]

35 minutes ago, MB19 said:

You assume she had the grades and test scores to get into these schools.  Does Stanford no longer require acceptance before handing out scholarships?  

What you are saying is most likely true as I assume Pano has been on this path for years and I doubt there was much emphasis on schooling. 

[heavy_hitter]

46 minutes ago, mikedellgolf said:

I don't think so.  If the coach wants you bad enough, he can make it happen.  I am speculating that the coach probably didn't want to deal with her father.

Well...  you would be wrong.  At the top end of the recruits the golf coaches will take a chance.  Other than that golf recruits are having to get into the University on the University Standards for admissions.  A football player is only going to have to meet Clearinghouse standards .

 

College Golf coaches are judged off their team's GPA and it is 100% one of the first things a college golf coach looks at when recruiting.  All the Academic money the coach can get get for the kid the more athletic money for international students.  Whether the players are excelling of lagging the coaches are hearing about it.  College Golfers also spend more time out of class than any other athlete because their season is year long.  Coaches don't have time to continually worry about the kids grades for golf.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by heavy_hitter

[MB19]

4 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Danica Patrick was a groundbreaking female driver at the height of NASCAR's popularity. She had a niche gig in an absolute money making machine that NASCAR was. What a joke of a comparison. 

A marketable female athlete is going to make money if her skill is even close.  Cashing event checks is just one revenue stream.

 

Aldo, Danica didn’t get famous during her NASCAR days.

[MB19]

11 minutes ago, mikedellgolf said:

His father and mother attended Stanford.  Do you know his high school GPA and SAT score was?

No, but I do know that Rick Pano didn’t go to Stanford.

[BloctonGolf11]

15 minutes ago, MB19 said:

A marketable female athlete is going to make money if her skill is even close.  Cashing event checks is just one revenue stream.

 

Aldo, Danica didn’t get famous during her NASCAR days.

Danica got "famous" during Indy, Danica got FAMOUS during NASCAR.

 

Secondly, she got famous for being a female in a male sport. She then capitalized on it with the sex appeal. Still a joke of a comparison. Pano is a good golfer, that is it, nothing else remarkable or special or marketable to separate her. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by BloctonGolf11

[MB19]

39 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Danica got "famous" during Indy, Danica got FAMOUS during NASCAR.

 

Secondly, she got famous for being a female in a male sport. Still a joke of a comparison. Pano is a good golfer, that is it, nothing else remarkable or special or marketable to separate her. 

Marketing made her famous, not necessarily her on-track accomplishments or barrier-breaking.

[BloctonGolf11]

1 minute ago, MB19 said:

Marketing made her famous, not necessarily her on-track accomplishments or barrier-breaking.

She was marketable because she was groundbreaking, had sex appeal, and was unique. Pano fits none of those. Nothing about her is marketable compared to other female golfers.  You can keep trying but seriously it is an awful comparison. 

[MB19]

7 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

She was marketable because she was groundbreaking, had sex appeal, and was unique. Pano fits none of those. Nothing about her is marketable compared to other female golfers.  You can keep trying but seriously it is an awful comparison. 

I refuse to call a minor sexy, if that is your endgame.  She is unique in that millions have watched her as a kid on The Short Game movie and she is the first one in that group to turn pro.  There is easily another JT/Netflix doc in there, as there is for Avery and perhaps others in that Short Game ecosystem.

 

 

[BloctonGolf11]

2 minutes ago, MB19 said:

I refuse to call a minor sexy, if that is your endgame.  She is unique in that millions have watched her as a kid on The Short Game movie and she is the first one in that group to turn pro.  There is easily another JT/Netflix doc in there, as there is for Avery and perhaps others in that Short Game ecosystem.

 

 

I refuse to too and was not pushing that at all, that is just weird. Being a good child golfer is not unique in a marketable way, how many "child prodigies" and "child phenoms" have we heard from? Also outside of golf "The Short Game" is completely irrelevant. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by BloctonGolf11

[MB19]

41 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Being a good child golfer is not unique in a marketable way, how many "child prodigies" and "child phenoms" have we heard from? Also outside of golf "The Short Game" is completely irrelevant. 

Being filmed (with good production) on the way to winning a title during childhood is pretty unique.  The child prodigy-turned-pro is more than a golf story, it is also a human interest story. Good production makes for more viewers as well.

 

Watching a regular game of tag is relatively uninteresting.  Watching World Chase Tag with commentary and solid camera work on YouTube is something I don’t get tired of.  Packaging matters, and the story matters as well.

[leezer99]

3 minutes ago, MB19 said:

Being filmed (with good production) on the way to winning a title during childhood is pretty unique.  The child prodigy-turned-pro is more than a golf story, it is also a human interest story. Good production makes for more viewers as well.

 

Watching a regular game of tag is relatively uninteresting.  Watching World Chase Tag with commentary and solid camera work on YouTube is something I don’t get tired of.  Packaging matters, and the story matters as well.

 

Yep, home video production rarely turns out well... just ask Kim Kardashian.

[MB19]

58 minutes ago, leezer99 said:

 

Yep, home video production rarely turns out well... just ask Kim Kardashian.

Can I ask Ray-Jay instead?  🤣

[chrissdc]

I’ve only met her Dad twice and and only had one meaningful convo with him when Alexa was 6 years old. 
I believe this is Dad driven for her to turn pro. While this may be what she wants, I’m sure it was drilled into her for many years to turn pro without the other options ever being a serious focal point. Her Dad also gets to remain in the picture with her going pro.  College coaches don’t want to deal with Dads.

I believe college would have helped her with golf and become a more well rounded person, and with the NIL she might have made a good amount of money if she was successful.

 

[leezer99]

I mean she’s 3 under after day 1 on the Epson Tour and just a few off the lead. 

[Shilgy]

On 4/28/2022 at 6:58 AM, BloctonGolf11 said:

We all know that, doesn't really have that much bearing on the conversation on Pano, I was just saying I wish Pano all the success in the world and right now in women's golf Nelly is the benchmark. 

Jin Young Ko begs to differ

[Shilgy]

On 4/28/2022 at 5:56 AM, heavy_hitter said:

 

 

Absolutely Incorrect statement.  She would be in competition at the collegiate level against players better than most of the players on the Epson Tour.  

Slight correction I would think…..that logic is the same as those that think Alabama could beat the Jaguars.  Even the Epson Our is the best of the college players.  Yes a few go straight to the big tour but you have players like Brooks and Rueffels on the Epson as well as many “name” pros thing to get their card back.  The typical college event would have had just a few that take the next step…not the whole field.

[JDee1935]

Some replies to some comments:

 

First off, I've known Alexa and her Dad maybe 8-9 years now. I was dear friend of her late grandmother many years ago . Met them through her, like them both a lot, and enjoyed when I officiated her tournaments.

 

College vs. pro golf. Anyone who thinks the level of play is remotely close, is insane. Epson and LET are so far ahead of college and junior golf, not close. I know many pro players, and almost every current pro will tell you that they didn't improve at all in college, as most will tell you they got worse. The exceptions are those who are average players as juniors, and grow in college, which is what it should be. The college benefits are education, and social maturity. There are very few college coaches with the skillset, to help players improve like pro instruction will and truth is it causes friction when college coaches interfere.

 

My impression of Alexa, is she felt that she could grow as a player much more effectively in pro golf. Every player is different, but [ my thought once I heard news] feel she had very strong foundation to make that decision, and we'll know in 2-3 years if correct. Her Dad did tell me at ANWA, that he hopes she does attend college, as her grades strong.

 

College NIL's vs pro endorsements. Again, not even close for Women's golf. Women, are not Alabama QB's. NIL's for college, are no more than $5-10,000 each , if that. Pro endorsements are 5-10x that. I do not think Alexa will lack for endorsements, as her presentation/image strong.

 

Lastly, all the WAGR talk. Last summer, our course CCNC, hosted the boys US Junior Championship. Even with the top finishers, both players and parents were furious that their rankings would drop, as evidently WAGR had signifigantly decreased the value on everything junior . One boy in top 4, said he went from top 50 to below 200, having good year. I'd imagine same for girls.

 

 

[leezer99]

Live scoring if you care to follow along:  https://www.epsontour.com/tournaments/garden-city-charity-classic-at-buffalo-dunes/leaderboard

[chrissdc]

College coaches do not give instruction to their players. Maybe if something obvious is happening and can be corrected quickly.

College players have their own instructors and see them during breaks in school. When they are away they can use video and if necessary fly home to their instructors on a weekend.

They is almost no money for endorsements in women’s golf. From what I understand, and I could be wrong, maybe the top 30 or so in women’s golf have significant endorsements. Significant being more than $50k a year. I would also bet that more than half of the LPGA players pay for their own clubs, albeit at a discount.

I believe if you are a standout in women’s college golf, do very well in the US amateur,  possibly qualify for the Open, and have at least a reasonable social media following, NIL money would surpass most LPGA players endorsements.

While I believe it isn’t a good decision for Alexa and 99.99 percent of the other women to skip school, I hope she makes $10 million or more and is happy.

[wildcatden]

She's taking her shot. Good for her. So far, 2 off the lead at -5 after 2 rounds.  6 birdies, 1 bogey and the rest pars.

 

[tiger1873]

9 hours ago, chrissdc said:

NIL money would surpass most LPGA players endorsements.

 

NIL money in Woman's golf is not going to amount to much money.

 

An LPGA that can keep their tour card is not going to have a problem getting free clubs and finding people who will pay them to speak or play with.

 

LPGA has a lot more money then it did 30 years ago.

 

 

  

[Shilgy]

7 hours ago, tiger1873 said:

NIL money in Woman's golf is not going to amount to much money.

 

An LPGA that can keep their tour card is not going to have a problem getting free clubs and finding people who will pay them to speak or play with.

 

LPGA has a lot more money then it did 30 years ago.

 

 

  

2nd his week on Epson Tour.  Not bad for 17.

[BloctonGolf11]

She had a great showing this weekend. Will be interesting to see if she can keep it up. We have two interesting case studies in her and Akshay right now for sure. 

 

On 5/1/2022 at 6:48 AM, tiger1873 said:

LPGA has a lot more money then it did 30 years ago.

 

A lot more than basically nothing is still not a lot Tiger. She finished second this weekend and got essentially $20,000 before taxes and expenses. Past top 10 on the LPGA got less than $25,000 this weekend, again before taxes and expenses. The women are woefully underpaid and the endorsements are not that great either, why do you think the women have to go out there looking like NASCAR with a sponsorship on ever square foot of available space while the men have one or two sponsors?