Annika Sorenstam won almost $2 million and took her 3rd US Women’s Open in 2006, but says “I am not happy with last year”. A total of 6 victories plus a major and this great golfer isn’t happy? What’s up with that?

Well I think it just shows the drive that Annika has and the standard that she sets for herself. And that is why she has been the dominating golfer that she has been. Like other great athletes in this game, she pushes herself, even at age 36.

If you look at professional golf today, I believe that Annika along with Tiger Woods both point out something that has bothered me about the pro golf game and maybe professional sports in general. It’s what I call the “coasting effect”. A pro golfer can coast along and, between sponsor money and placing in the top 10 now and then, earn a comfortable living without winning or really pushing themselves.

If anyone is in a financial position to relax and coast it would be Annika and Tiger. But they are both driven and refuse to relax. And that is what makes them great golfers. And I think that professional golf would be better and more enjoyable for golf fans to watch if there was some shake up in the structure of the game. I don’t think that it will happen because there is now too much money tied up in the game, but just imagine if…..

Now here are some crazy ideas to consider. But what if only the top 50 golfers in earnings won their card and exemptions? And all others had to qualify until they placed in the top 10 for a certain number of tournaments? Or what if sponsors could sponsor any golfer they wanted, but the majority of sponsorship money went into a pool that was paid out to the top 10 golfers at the end of the Fed Ex Cup competition?

I guess that I should qualify my statements by saying that this applies not only to golf but to all pro sports. If you think about it, sales people are just about the only role where you have to keep performing year in and year out to get paid the big money. Long term contracts in pro sports and big sponsor money in golf take away incentive in my opinion. At least for many. The exceptions, like Annika and Tiger, are driven by a deeper motivation than money and that is awesome.

Maybe I am just a cynical Golf Nut. But I love the game of golf and am afraid that all this money will eventually hurt the game and there won’t be enough golfers like Annika and Tiger to salvage it.