Junior Exam
Like Whitney Houston, we believe that the children are the future, so to get a snapshot of tomorrow's golfers--how they play, what they think, whom they admire--SI polled the entire 79-player field at a recent American Junior Golf Association tournament. The field comprised 40 girls and 39 boys, ranging in age from 13 to 18, with an average age of 15.9. Thirty-nine of the players were Caucasian, 33 were Asian-American, two were Hispanic and one was African-American, while four chose not to identify their race.
How old were you when you started to play?
...7.7 years
[ DRILLING DOWN ]
Girls ...8.8 years
Boys ...6.6 years
Have you ever used a balata ball?
Yes ...41%
No ...59%
Would you ever use a long putter?
Yes ...5%
No ...95%
Do you carry a hybrid club?
Yes ...37%
No ...63%
[ DRILLING DOWN ]
21 hybrid users were boys
Average driving distance?
....264.01 yards
Boys ...285.31 yards
Girls ...243.25 yards
What type of grip do you use?
Overlap ...51%
Interlock ...47%
Ten-finger ...2%
How many days, on average, do you watch golf on TV each week? ...2.14
The AJGA recently banned shirts that reveal a player's belly button on the follow-through. Should such shirts be allowed?
Yes ...44%
No ...46%
Don't care ...10%
LOOSE LIPS
"Only for girls." --BOY, 14
Do you work with a mental coach or sports psychologist?
Yes ...52%
No ...48%
Should Michelle Wie go to college?
Yes ...56%
No ...33%
Don't know/care ...11%
Who's better, Annika Sorenstam or Tiger Woods?
Sorenstam ...24%
Woods ...76%
Should Wie play the LPGA or the PGA tour?
LPGA ...72%
PGA ...16%
Both ...12%
LOOSE LIPS
"LPGA. She's not that good."
Have you ever seen someone cheat in a tournament?
Yes ...86% |
No ...14%
Have you ever turned someone in for a rules violation?
Yes ...66%
No ...34%
Would you rather play Augusta National or Pebble Beach?
Augusta National ...82%
Pebble Beach ...18%
Should women be admitted as members of Augusta National?
Yes ...58%
No ...38%
Don't know/care ...4%
[ DRILLING DOWN ]
78% of the girls said yes
If you were offered a $1 million endorsement deal to turn pro right now, would you take it?
Yes ...57%
No ...43%
Would you rather get a 4.0 GPA or win the U.S. Junior?
4.0 GPA ...30%
U.S. Junior ...70%
LOOSE LIPS
"Why not both?"
Would you rather be president of the United States or win the Grand Slam?
President ...15%
Grand Slam ...85%
LOOSE LIPS
"Being prez would suck."
Do you have a part-time job?
Yes ...8%
No ...92%
Do you know a player who has taken steroids?
Yes ...14%
No ...86%
Who's the best junior player in the world?
Don't know ...23%
Myself ...19%
Brian Harmon ...18%
Julieta Granada ...5%
(21 others received between one and three votes.)
LOOSE LIPS
"Me, duh."
Do you believe you will play professional golf?
Yes ...89%
No ...11%
Would you rather play with Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods?
Hogan ...16%
Jones ...22%
Nicklaus ...9%
Woods ...49%
Other ...4%
Will a woman qualify to play full time on the PGA Tour in the next decade?
Yes ...34%
No ...60%
Don't know ...5%
[ DRILLING DOWN ]
45% of the girls said yes
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Photograph by Todd Bigelow/Aurora
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TITLEIST (BALL)
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TODD BIGELOW/AURORA (MALE GOLFER)
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AL FRANCEKEVICH/CORBIS (COUCH POTATO)
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CORBIS (FREUD, MORTARBOARD)
B/W PHOTO
CORBIS (FREUD, MORTARBOARD)
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DARREN CARROLL (SORENSTAM)
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DAVID WALBERG (FEMALE GOLFER)
U.S. Women's Amateur finalist Maru Martinez.
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DAVE MARTIN/AP (AUGUSTA)
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LARRY DOWNING/REUTERS/CORBIS (BUSH)
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JEFF GREEN/REUTERS/CORBIS (MCDONALD'S)
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CAROLYN KASTER/AP (PALMEIRO)
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B/W PHOTO
BETTMAN/CORBIS (JONES)
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TODD BIGELOW/AURORA (GOLFERS)