What’s really on the minds of the best golfers in the world? In the polite con fines of the PGA Tour, it’s often hard to know. Until now. With the goal of letting players let it fly, we granted them anonymity and picked their brains on a wide range of hot-button topics (cheating on Tour! Tiger v. Phil! Brandel Chamblee!). Over two days of surveying, at the PGA Championship and the Wyndham Championship, 59 players participated, including four major winners, one 2018 major winner and three of the top-20 players in the world. The result? Sweet, sweet candor.
DO YOU LIKE THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP’S MOVE TO MAY?
YES: 76%
NO: 10%
NO PREFERENCE: 14%
HOT TAKES
“I just want to play in one. I don’t care if it’s January in Alaska.”
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT TOUR PLAYERS ARE HITTING THE BALL TOO FAR?
YES: 32%
NO: 76%
“I just wish I hit it farther.”
“Equipment has taken a ton of skill away from the game.”
“The problem is that the ball goes too straight.”
“Yes — 300 yards doesn’t cut it anymore.”
TOUR SETUPS ARE GENERALLY…
…TOO SHORT: 0%
…TOO LONG: 7%
…ABOUT RIGHT: 93%
“Tour setups are typically, well, too lame.”
“Fact: No one bitches when they’re leading the tournament.”
FROM THIS POINT ON, WHO WILL WIN MORE MAJORS: JORDAN SPIETH OR JUSTIN THOMAS?
JORDAN: 29%
JUSTIN: 68%
UNDECIDED: 3%
“Jordan is chasing history. He simply wants it more.”
“Justin’s got a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t want to be known as ‘Jordan’s little buddy’ anymore.”
HAS HAVING A SLOW-PLAYING PARTNER EVER HURT YOUR ON-COURSE PERFORMANCE?
YES: 78%
NO: 22%
“A bunch of millionaires aren’t going to speed up by fining them 10K.”
DO YOU FEEL YOUR OWN PACE OF PLAY IS ACCEPTABLE?
YES: 100%
NO: 0%
HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED A TOURNAMENT ROUND HUNGOVER?
YES: 46%
NO: 54%
“I shot 61 hungover.”
“I was 8-under through 13 one time, and then made a mess of it.”
“I made the weekend on the number, shot 60 on Saturday with a hangover and won the tournament.”
“The entire 2014 season.”
“I did on the Champions Tour. Does that count?”
HAVE YOU EVER WITNESSED A FELLOW TOUR PLAYER CHEAT DURING A TOURNAMENT ROUND?
YES: 44%
NO: 56%
“Multiple times. The Tour is a joke when it comes to enforcing the rules.”
“I’ve seen guys bend the rules and mark their ball improperly.”
HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN A RULE AND NOT REPORTED IT?
YES: 0%
NO: 100%
HAS UNRULY FAN BEHAVIOR EVER COST YOU A SHOT?
YES: 53%
NO: 47%
“Every. Single. Week.”
“Not enough people are ever watching me.”
HAVE YOU EVER PURPOSELY TANKED TO ENSURE YOU MISSED A CUT?
YES: 3%
NO: 97%
“I had better things to do than finish dead last.”
DID YOU VOTE FOR TRUMP?
YES: 56%
NO: 12%
INELIGIBLE: 18%
DIDN’T VOTE: 14%
“He was the lesser of two evils.”
IF HE RUNS AGAIN IN 2020, WILL YOU VOTE FOR HIM?
YES: 42%
NO: 20%
INELIGIBLE: 19%
UNDECIDED: 14%
WON’T VOTE: 5%
“F— yeah, I’m voting for Trump.”
“I’m not a citizen but if I could, it wouldn’t be for Trump.”
“I won’t vote for Donald Trump, but I’ll still vote Republican.”
“He’s made me some money. That’s all I care about.”
DO YOU RESPECT BRANDEL CHAMBLEE’S OPINIONS?
YES: 64%
NO: 27%
DON’T KNOW/NO COMMENT: 9%
“Say what you want, but the guy does his homework.”
“I played with him and he wasn’t that good.”
“The Tiger bashing gets old and ruins a bit of his credibility.”
“Every panel of talking heads needs a jackass.”
“He can’t possibly believe all of the stuff he’s saying.”
“I’ve blocked him on social media because I don’t even want to know what comes out of his mouth.”
“He missed his calling. Should have been a doctor — he might have cured a few diseases.”
WILL TIGER WIN ANOTHER TOUR EVENT?
YES: 98%
NO: 2%
“F— yeah!”
ANOTHER MAJOR?
YES: 90%
NO: 10%
“A year ago: no way. Now: no doubt.”
TIGER VS. PHIL MONEY MATCH: WHO’S YOUR MONEY ON?
TIGER: 76%
PHIL: 14%
NO COMMENT: 10%
“Who cares? Maybe I would’ve 15 years ago.”
“Vegas…going with Tiger.”
HAVE YOU EVER WAGERED $1,000 OR MORE IN A PRACTICE-ROUND MONEY MATCH?
YES: 37%
NO: 61%
NO COMMENT: 2%
“My wife would kill me!”
“I’ve never bet more than $20. Honestly.”
DO YOU WORRY THAT LEGALIZED SPORTS GAMBLING COULD CORRUPT THE PRO GAME?
YES: 19%
NO: 81%
“It has in every other professional sport, so why would golf be any different?”
HAVE YOU EVER PAID A TOUR FINE?
YES: 36%
NO: 64%
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“No, but I’ve talked my way out of paying one.”
DO YOU OWN A GUN?
YES: 49%
NO: 51%
“What golfer doesn’t own one?”
“If a war breaks out, you want to be at my place.”
“Just these.” [rolls up his sleeves and flexes]
SHOULD PHIL HAVE BEEN DQ’D AT SHINNECOCK?
YES: 44%
NO: 54%
NO COMMENT: 2%
“He acted like an idiot. If it were me, I’d be out.”
“He should’ve been praised.”
SHOULD THERE BE TWO SETS OF EQUIPMENT REGS: ONE FOR PROS, ANOTHER FOR EVERYONE ELSE?
YES: 39%
NO: 61%
“It would ruin the golf industry.”
HAVE YOU EVER SIGNED AN EQUIPMENT DEAL KNOWING THAT YOU WERE DOWNGRADING TO INFERIOR CLUBS?
YES: 5%
NO: 95%
“Not at the time. I discovered it later.”
“Yes, the money was too damn good.”
WOULD YOU TAKE ONE MAJOR OR 10 TOUR WINS?
ONE MAJOR: 36%
10 TOUR WINS: 64%
“Depends if it’s 10 Puerto Rico Opens.”
“I’ll take history over padding my bank account.”
“Would you rather win $10+ million or $1.85 million in the lottery? All about the cash.”
“Which major?”
WHO HAS THE MOST NATURAL TALENT?
DUSTIN JOHNSON: 40%
BUBBA WATSON: 14%
TIGER WOODS: 12%
RORY MCILROY: 12%
JUSTIN THOMAS: 4%
ANTHONY KIM: 4%
NO CHOICE/OTHER: 14%
“Dustin is a freak of nature.”
WHO IS THE BEST PURE BALLSTRIKER ON TOUR?
HENRIK STENSON: 14%
TIGER WOODS: 9%
SERGIO GARCIA: 9%
DUSTIN JOHNSON: 8%
JUSTIN ROSE: 7%
BOO WEEKLEY: 5%
RORY MCILROY: 4%
JUSTIN THOMAS: 4%
OTHER: 40%
“Even when Henrik Stenson shanks it, it’s flush.”
