Are current PGA tour players “soft” compared to past generations?

Why?


Equipment?


Courses too hard?


Egos?


Money?


Is it nature of the sport?


Would Ben Hogan ever become a pro today with his up bringing?|||I'm on the side of them being soft. Tiger has dominated, and no one seems willing to challenge him... it's kind of the "Well, he's in the lead over me by two strokes, and we have four holes left, so he's won it anyway... I"m still getting paid good money for this second place finish, so I'm OK". I'm ruling out equipment- it has no way of determining a person's heart and will to win.





Jack had many people chasing him, from Trevino, to Watson, to Palmer, the list goes on and on. He won 18 majors, but was 2nd in 19 others- people weren't afraid to win, it was an honor to take one from the greatest. Golfers nowadays seem like it's Tiger's birthright to break Jack's record- either that, or they're too scared to handle the responsibility of being a major champion.





Paul Casey said it best in Golf Magazine- "there's enough tournaments to go around". In the interview, he makes it sound like people are OK with sharing the pot, with everyone making sure everyone else gets at least one W. To make matters worse, the ones that DO speak up about wanting to be #1 (like Jason Day) get trashed in all the media outlets. It seems like a never-ending cycle between the golfers and the media, with the golfers being less inclined to talk about their golfing desires, for fear of being ridiculed... you know, because the idea of toppling Tiger from #1 is completely impossible (ask Vijay if it's impossible).





As for your other question- I don't think there's ever going to be another Ben Hogan, or Lee Trevino, for that matter. Both men made themselves from scratch. Golfers are increasingly coming from the factories like the Leadbetter Academy- not only are they not that good (compared to the staples of this era), they lack the personality that the Hogans, Trevinos and others of the bygone era had. Of course, Tigermania hasn't helped THAT, either.|||?