Everyone's minds wander during a slow/hectic/boring/tiring day at work, with many of us daydreaming about what it would be like to play professional golf for a living. It seems like the golden ticket, providing a combination of fame, wealth, freedom over your schedule and, of course, the opportunity to play golf most days of the year.
Naturally, we don't think about the arduous travel, stress of keeping your card, battling on the mini-tours, mental strain and financial/job insecurity that most professionals have to deal with. Still, there's no denying it's a fantastic way to make a living at the top end of the game, especially with the riches on offer these days on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
But do DP World Tour and LPGA Tour players find themselves wondering about other professions when they're between shots during tournaments? We asked 18 pros to tell us what they'd be doing if they weren't professional golfers...
What would you be doing if you weren't a professional golfer?
Richard Mansell: “Would I be a professional footballer? Probably not, but I’d like to say I would! Or failing that a fighter pilot like Top Gun.”
Ross Fisher: “Either playing computer games or something to do with fast cars.”
Ewen Ferguson: “Being a country singer in Nashville.”
Scott Hend: “I’d be working in the Air Force as a dog handler.”
Oli WIlson: “I’d be a ski instructor.”
Mike Lorenzo-Vera: “I would have my own restaurant.”
Erik van Rooyen: “A musician. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 14. I love rock and roll, anything from the Beatles to the Foo Fighters. That’s the type of music I’d like to make.”
Ryan Fox: “I’d be involved in sport in some way. Sport has been a huge part of my family for three generations.”
Alex Fitzpatrick: “Probably playing football if I wasn’t so lazy, or playing video games.”
Georgia Hall: “I would want to be a professional athlete in another sport.”
Tony Johnston: “No idea. I wanted nothing else from the age of 12. I did law credits at university but it was never for me.”
Dan Bradbury: “I can’t imagine my life outside of golf, so if I wasn’t playing professionally I’d be coaching or something.”
Jorge Campillo: “I’d like to be involved in golf course architecture.”
Marcus Armitage: “I’d be a carpet fitter.”
George Coeztee: “I’d be a fly fishing guide, playing Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible or a semi-professional football player”
Michael Stewart: “I like to believe I would have made it as a professional footballer as I played for St Mirren in Scotland until I was 15.”
Gemma Dryburgh: “Something in sport. I always wanted to be a professional footballer.”
Todd Clements: “I’d be doing something in psychology.”
