SHUHEI MATSUO
Assistant Online Editor
Kids these days do everything early. They get their first cell phone at age 7, first credit card at 11 and even start drinking at age 13. Oh, one more thing: They become professional golfers at age 16.
Sound familiar? Well, this may not apply to your younger siblings, but Ryo Ishikawa should know what I’m talking about.
On Jan. 10, the 16-year-old Japanese golf prodigy, who became the youngest winner of a Japanese men’s tour event, announced he was turning pro.
Wow, 16? Well, he is not the only one. Hawaiian golfer Tadd Fujikawa also turned pro when he was 16, and so did Michelle Wie, who did it at 15.
What’s up with these Asian kids anyway? How can 15 or 16-year-olds who haven’t even finished high school compete against the world’s best golfers?
When I was 16, I was busy thinking about how to beat other kids at an 800-yard race in my 20-person P.E. class. But these teenagers are talking about taking on the world.
I’m sure they are the best golfers at their age, but that does not guarantee their future in the professional sports world.
Let’s look at today’s successful golfers.
Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer ever, probably could have turned pro at any point of his junior years and done OK, but he waited. Yes, he did finish high school and two years of college. But after winning the U.S. Amateur three years in a row at age 19, he was almost forced to turn pro.
What about Phil Mickelson? The world’s No.-2 golfer is a big fan of waiting as he turned pro after graduating from Arizona State, even after a PGA Tour victory as an amateur. He even told fellow San Diegan, Jaime Lovemark, No.-1 college golfer and a sophomore at University of Southern California, to wait to turn pro until he finishes school. And Lovemark says that’s what he plans to do.
Pepperdine golfers agree with Mickelson’s philosophy.
Freshman golfer Tyalore Karle says she decided to come to Pepperdine because people around her highly value the experience at college, but she doesn’t have an opinion toward young golfers like Wie and Fujikawa, who skipped college or even high school to play professionally.
Karle, 17, who was rated as the nation’s No.-1 freshman in the preseason Golfweek rankings in fall 2007, could have turned pro after high school. But she came to Pepperdine and is “planning to finish college” before her professional career.
Redshirt sophomore Carl Smith and sophomore Shane Mason from the men’s team also say “there is no rush” of turning pro that early because golf has a long career.
So did Ishikawa, Wie and Fujikawa make a mistake by turning pro so early? Maybe not at the moment, since they must be getting a ridiculous amount of money from their endorsement. In the long run though?
Bad news: History is not in their favor.
Of Top 20 golfers on the PGA Tour, there are only two golfers who did not go to college – No.-6 Justin Rose and No.-12 Sergio Garcia. On top of that, they are non-American and were 18 and 19, respectively, when they turned pro.
Remember Ty Tryon, an American golfer who went pro at age 16 in 2001? He is now forgotten more than the Mowry twins from “Sister, Sister.”
I almost feel bad for these young golfers who have stepped into the professional world too soon. They may be the most famous and richest teenage athletes in town, but they will have to go through a lot to succeed on the Tour.
Personally, I think being the best junior or college golfer would feel more of an accomplishment than barely making making a cut on the Tour. Wie is a superb golfer who doesn’t know how to win. She should have dominated junior golf before turning pro.
Actually, I’m not sorry for them at all. I’m very impressed with what they have done and will support them as a golf lover.
I just really hope they won’t be golf’s version of Britney Spears.
01-17-2008
