[Hennybogan]

What do y'all see as the difference between a dude struggling to get on/stay on tour vs. the dudes that get it done?

Bucket,

The answer to getting it done or not is both very complicated and very simple. Simple answer is that the game is score. Nothing matters but the score. I'm sure you know somebody that doesn't look very good while he is winning all the money.

There are so many ways to stay on the Tour. Some guys just are not very consistent, but when the play good, they get paid. Whether they are mentally tough or just riding a wave of confidence, they get it done. Some guys are the opposite. They often get themselves in the hunt, but fall off at the end. They have to play well more weeks because of the prize structure.

The upper eschelon is the guys that play well often and get paid when they do.

Tiger Woods is the best player because he has the total package. The categories are: Power, Accuracy, Iron Game, Short game, Putting, Preparation, Management, Mental, Fitness, Strength, Desire, Record (concrete proof) etc. The only area Tiger sometimes lacks is accuracy off the tee. The other top players have similar skill sets. They all have great short games (VJ may be best given his putting). Some are shorter but more accurate.

As you go down the money list, you will find more things missing. Maybe he gives away shots around the green or gets mad (and lets it affect next shot). His bad shots may be infrequent but costly (penalties). He might not know how good he really is. He might have alot of these attributes but needs some help with alignments to go to the next level.

The more difficult the golf course, the easier it is to see who is really good and who's not. The "Bigger" a player's game is, the less he has to get out of it. Most guys have to be maximing their opportunities to reach the top of the leaderboard.

In general, no matter how good his long game, a top player will get better, relative to the field, the closer he gets to the hole.