If you think this chud wouldn't instantly be the #1 player on the LPGA Tour, you are not gonna make it.
Most of the so-called "country club plus" guys were at one point finishing second or third in junior tournaments to a guy who wound up winning on tour. Many of them know what real professional men's golf at some level looks like, and they weren't that far off of it.
The line is so fine between stick and touring pro, and the pool of talent in the men's game is unbelievably deep.
The #1-5 ranked NAIA men are going to wind up playing on a tour.
The #1 ranked NAIA woman is shooting 75 and is going to need another career, a husband, or daddy.
The talent pool in the women's game will never be remotely as deep. This means there are not as many women attempting serious golf, which means that women as a whole are not as good as they theoretically could be if they participated at the same rate as men, just based on numbers and the associated competition, which we know drives ability.
This comes on top of the fact that women are women, and as such, not men, which shouldn't require further explanation.
I have no issue with women playing professional golf or golf in general, obviously. Plenty of them are extremely talented and lovely to be around.
Obviously.
Many "country club plus" guys hold vanity handicaps that have never been tournament seasoned and would neither travel or hang with a female pro, but plenty of them are former junior or college players who can still hit it far, hit it out of the rough, have great short games and serious competitive instincts. Getting it going on an LPGA Tour setup is not out of the realm of possibility whatsoever.
Of course, LPGA Tour members have no incentive to test this out.
Michelle Wie wore out the concept, albeit against touring pros, and she was a physical specimen far beyond what Nelly Korda is competing against men who weren't anywhere near what they are as a group today.
Annika dominated the women's game in a way not seen since and gracefully tested herself at her peak on what she knew would be a friendly setup in an era where the average PGA Tour driving distance was 286 yards vs. 303 yards as it is today.
What kind of sponsor or network wants to see a washed up nobody male compete against women they've invested in? Even if a potential televised match was close, it totally de-legitimizes professional women's golf.
Not to mention that this reality being tested would not fit into any strategy of elevating the women's game in order to market golf to women.
The debate is not as simple as, "Country Club Plus is always greater than or equal to LPGA Pro".
The barking of certain male (presumably) burner accounts on Twitter claiming to be plus handicaps who bomb it 330 and hit 80% of the fairways also muddies the conversation. Most are probably full of shit and make the claim I am making here sound less credible.
Logically speaking, I simply believe that a certain type of scratch/plus male is very capable of clipping a large number of female professionals at least some of the time. And while I admittedly have tendencies towards belligerence and bombast, I simply believe this to be true and have no problem saying it.
LPGA professionals are really, really good.
For ladies.
Caught a lot of flack yesterday for saying I’d close Nelly Korda out on 15 if we played from 7,000
I stand by my statement.