By John Kim
Special to PGATOUR.com
ATLANTA -- Many people take a break from work and go play golf. But what do the best golfers in the world do when their work is over?
“We have a new house,” says Stewart Cink. “I’ve got some work to do there. I doubt I’ll have much time for golf.”
“I’m teeing off tomorrow morning at 7:30,” Brett Quigley said. “I plan on playing every day I can.”
As the 2006 PGA TOUR season comes to an end, the players’ plans for the off-season are as diverse as the swings that propelled their success throughout the year.
Some will be playing in Challenge Season events such as the Merrill Lynch Shootout or the Target World Challenge presented by Countrywide. Others will play tournaments in Asia, Australia and South Africa. Still more will concentrate on practice.
Almost all of them agree, though, that there is one uniform goal before the 2007 season begins: Relax.
Asked what he’ll be doing, Chad Campbell’s answer was quick and honest. “Not much of anything,” he said. “Maybe get out to the Mercedes(-Benz Championships) early, but I’m really going to try and rest up.”
“Pretty boring,” Dean Wilson said as he packed up. “I’m going to take a break. Relax a little, try to get excited about ’07.”
“Go home and relax,” David Toms agreed. “I’m playing in the Target World Challenge, but I’m going to spend some time at the house, for sure.”
Maybe Stuart Appleby will play some cricket this offseason. (Getty Images) |
Of course, family plans are prominent for many of the players as they conclude the season.
“We have a young son at home … I can’t wait to go and spend some time with him,” Ben Curtis said. “I’ll focus on him and the family, and then get ready for Maui.”
J.J. Henry, will have to balance some golf with his desire to spend time with his family.
“It’s such a great time for me right now,” he beamed. “I’ll be at the (Merrill-Lynch) Shootout, the Target World Challenge, and the (Barbados) World Cup with Stewart Cink. I also have a 2-year-old son at home and he’s such a blast. I want to spend some time with him, watch football and basketball, and just hang with my family and friends.”
Geoff Ogilvy, who won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and U.S. Open last year, laughed when asked what his plans for the off-season were.
“Whatever I did last year,” he cracked. “It seemed to work out pretty well. I’ll play some events back home, spend some time on the beach. I’ll get to Maui early, spend some time out there on the beach as well.”
Joe Durant and Stuart Appleby are two golfers who have mixed feelings about seeing 2006 end.
“The year went too quick,” said Appleby, who had two wins on the PGA TOUR this past year. “I hate to see it go, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to ’07.”
Perhaps the golfer most bothered to see the season end is Durant. In the last two months of the season, Durant placed in the top six in the five events, winning more than $2 million plus another $500,000 for the Fall Finish presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m pretty tired right now,” Durant stated. “I hate to see it end, but yet, hopefully, I can kind of pick up where I’m leaving off when we go out to Mercedes.”
A little R&R balanced against practice, family time and professional obligations seem to be the consensus.
Of all the players’ plans, Sweden's Carl Pettersson seemed to have the best perspective.
“I want to get in better shape, to really concentrate of fitness,” the husky Pettersson said, adding, “but of course, I say that every year.”
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