Maginnes: The four days that make or break them  PGATOUR.com Contributor Four days is not a significant amount of time. Heck, most people can even stand their mother-in-law for four days. Four days isn't even a full work week.  George McNeill used his four days to turn his rookie year into a winning year. (Feldman/WireImage)
I was talking with some well respected members of the media at the Fry's Electronics Open, and we were trying to think of any other sport where a player can fundamentally change not only his career, but his life in such a short span of time. All we could come up with were the Olympics and the PGA TOUR. Obviously, prize fighting can offer an even quicker ascent to the top of the heap. But can you name the heavyweight champion of the world right now? The thing that sets professional golf apart is the fact that every week there is the potential for a new star to emerge. A previously unheralded player who does something so spectacular over a 96-hour period immediately becomes more than credible -- he becomes a star. I have heard Rich Beem joke that the minute he won the PGA Championship, his IQ went up 50 points, and he grew 3 inches. That happened over four days in August five years ago, but regardless of what happens the rest of his career, he will forever be known as a major-championship winner. George McNeill found his magical four days in the city of dreams two weeks ago. With his 23-under par winning performance at the Frys.com Open, George became the 12th first time winner on the PGA TOUR in 2007. In George's words, he said that he "joined an elite fraternity" that Sunday -- the Fraternal Order of PGA TOUR winners. George played himself into contention again in Scottsdale last week. Through 54 holes, he was still in the hunt. Before he teed off in the final round, he looked a little bleary eyed. He admitted that the victory in Vegas had taken a lot out of him and he needed a break. Craig Kanada, on the other hand, came into the Fry's Electronics Open No. 126 on the money list. Like many players in his position, he is in the process of playing the last seven tournaments in a row. They are playing to keep their jobs. They play every week in hopes of stumbling upon four days of magic. That happened for Craig last year on the Nationwide Tour. At one point, he played 11 consecutive weeks, and, interestingly, he won in Utah nine weeks into that stretch.  Mark Hensby landed in second, but it was close enough to secure a spot on the TOUR for 2008. (Feldman/WireImage)
Comparisons between the guys who are playing out the season and the superstars who refuse to play more than two or three tournaments in a row would be easy. It would be easy to bash the big boys for not playing more. But, as George is learning, and as they already know, playing around the lead is exhausting. Being in contention every week takes a major toll on players. No excuses need to be made for either side. Each player is in the constant quest to find out what works best for him. Finding the formula that works for you is one thing, sticking to it can be an altogether different issue. It works the same in every arena. Closing a deal is always the hardest part of any endeavor. The leg work and research is taxing but not overwhelming. It is the same in golf. Finishing 20th or 30th is not satisfying. It is the leg work that most players have to do as they gain confidence in their games to make a run at a title. They do it so that when their four days come, they will be ready. Sometimes, some years, your four days doesn't even yield a victory. Mark Hensby, Jesper Parnevik and Michael Allen all had their four days these last several weeks. What they all have in common is the fact that they finished second to secure their PGA TOUR cards for next year. Coming into their runner-up weeks, they were all on the outside of the top 125. Now they are all secure with a whole new slate of four-day chances coming in 2008. What makes this time of year interesting is how dramatically the fortunes of a year can change in four days. Mike Weir and Justin Leonard, both winners in the PGA TOUR's Fall Series, did not fundamentally change their careers with their latest wins. They did that over other four-day periods on grander stages against all odds (and Tiger). The players on the PGA TOUR hanging around the bubble and awaiting their four days now have two more weeks. Every player knows in his heart his best is good enough. The numbers it takes to win every week are hardly foreign to any player in the field of a PGA TOUR event. But, it is one thing to know that -- it is another all together to do it. Four days can pass in the blink of an eye, or it can be an eternity. |
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