Trophies sitting on a rock

The Difference Between Being Remembered, and Being Immortalized!

What does it mean to win a PGA Tour event?

Many consider The PGA Tour as the highest level of Men's competitive golf; meaning that just getting to the PGA Tour, let alone winning an event, is no easy feat.

Just to have things in perspective and see how difficult it is to win on the PGA Tour; some of the best-ranked players in the world have a winning percentage of approximately 5% - 10% and are players that are household names and have spent years in the world of competitive golf. As of this moment Tiger Woods, who is easily considered one of, if not, the Greatest Of All Time has a winning percentage of approximately 22.9% throughout his almost 30-year professional career, which by golf standards, is an insanely high percentage. 

But the question remains, what does a Player get for winning an Event? 

Well, aside from the Trophy, the player also obtains the First Place Prize money which depends on how much the tournament purse was; a boost on their player ranking; job security, given that it ensures their Tour Card for the next 2-5 years; and accumulate points that go towards the FedEx Cup Tour Championship which is the tournament that caps the season and has the largest prize money purse.

 

What does it mean to win a Major?

Throughout the season there are 44 regular season events and 4 of those are known as "Majors". Those 4 tournaments include The Masters, The Open, The PGA Championship, and The U.S. Open. Major events are the pinnacle of PGA Tour events, given that they are the most prestigious events and will elevate any player's career to new heights should they win any of the aforementioned events.

How players qualify to compete in a Major event depends entirely on that tournament's criteria, meaning that not every Tour Card Holder will be able to qualify. But those that do, have a shot to compete for the: Trophy, Prize Money, Glory, 600 points that go towards The FedEx Cup Championship, and a Chance for the rare and elusive Career Grand Slam.

 

So how does one obtain a Career Grand Slam? 

For a player to achieve this elusive feat, they must win all four of the Major events at least once. Meaning they have to win the: Masters, Open, PGA Championship, and U.S. Open at least one time throughout their career. And just to show how difficult it is to achieve a Career Grand Slam; only five players have ever achieved it. And those players are Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, and Tiger Woods.

There is also one more player, Bobby Jones, who obtained an even rarer feat. He won all Four Majors in the Same Season, being the only player to ever achieve a Grand Slam! After achieving such amazing accomplishments in the world of golf, some players receive certain distinctions and honore that separate them from the rest; a certain distinction that the aforementioned players share; being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

 

To stand the test of time. 

In the world of competitive golf, you could be remembered for winning a few tournaments, but only those who have gone on to win Major events and make generational impacts that stand the test of time will become Legends, only those will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, only those will be Immortalized.  

  

(Image credit: Getty Images) 

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