The career of a professional athlete is over — done, kaput, history — before they know it.
Father Time is an opponent who will never be beaten.
Heck, even Tom Brady had to quit at some point. And so will LeBron James — maybe as soon as this year.
Which brings us to the game of golf — and The PRO Tour.
Or, as its commissioner, the Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz put it, “the place you go when you have no more competition left.”
And competition, let’s face it, is something they have known. And depended on for years.
For decades.
Many adjust and find a new purpose. For some, though, the transition to real life isn’t easy, personally or professionally.
“The lights are off, the jersey is off,” Smoltz pointed out. “Now what? … I really believe we are creating something for athletes who are retiring at a much younger age. The sweet spot is for the mid-30s, early-40s guy that has the rest of [his life] to engage in [golf].”
In each tournament, 80 players tee it up over three rounds for bragging rights and prize money. They compete in a modified Stableford system: six points for an eagle, four for birdie, two for par, one for bogey. A double bogey, on the other hand, costs players one point.
So far this season, the premier player has been ex-major league pitcher Tyler Clippard, who won the first two tournaments, both in playoffs. Other top contenders have included Aaron Hicks (baseball), Mardy Fish (tennis), and Taylor Twellman (soccer).
Expect, at least for the short term, to see the usual suspects leading the way.
At Fallen Oak outside Biloxi, Mississippi, the site of this week’s tournament, Smoltz said, although “40 people think they have a chance” to win, the number is a closer to 15.
Eventually, however, as more players retire and become eligible — Steph Curry would be a huge addition — the amount of contenders will likely grow.
“Justin Verlander, when he retires, is going to be on this tour,” Smoltz said, “and maybe Aaron Rodgers.”
Smoltz admits, however, that The PRO is not for every retired athlete.
“Not everyone who claims to be a pretty good golfer,” he said, “will get on that stage in front of their peers and get exposed.”
Eventually, he hopes to have a two-tier system and a series of qualifiers. How that would work is still to be figured out.
“I have a newfound appreciation for real commissioners,” said Smoltz.
Currently, players are required to have a handicap of seven or less to compete. “I’ve got some guys,” he said, “who can’t break 80 and they want to play in every event. Eventually, that will weed itself out.”
For Smoltz, as wonderful as the competition has been, something else has stood out even more.
“We have a wide range of athletes,” he said, “that when they come together, they’re mingling, they’re telling stories. We’ve created what they’ve been missing, what they’ve been craving.”
Smoltz is always thinking a couple of years ahead.
“I know where this is going to go,” he said, “and now we have to prove it, which we are.
The thing that I explained to players two years ago has not only come through but has been beyond their imagination.”