According to Players Poll: Don’t Make Ernie Angry

First, let me just say, I take back everything I said about your putting, Mr. Els. Please don’t hurt me.

The annual Sports Illustrated Anonymous Player Poll has been released and while some of the results are rather predictable, like Adam Scott winning for “Prettiest Golf Swing”, others were a bit surprising.

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SI polls roughly 150 PGA, Champions, and LPGA TOUR players about a variety of things related and unrelated to the game of golf.

This year the poll asked things like who would you rather play with, Kevin Na or Bubba Watson (death was not an option) and does the caddie deserve 10% of a player’s winnings?  It also took the political pulse of the players, asking if Donald Trump courses should be removed from any of the tours, or if anyone would be willing to vote for Hillary Clinton.

The biggest surprise has to be the players’ answer to who they would want to have their back if they got into a bar fight.

No, the answer is not Robert Allenby.

Answer?

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The Big Easy! That’s right, Ernie Els got 15% of the votes.  With someone leaving the note, “I’ve heard some bar stories about Ernie.”

Although, on the other hand, “No one out here” did receive 18% of the vote.  Which could mean Els is the toughest guy out of a very passive bunch.

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Other interesting notes, the idea of Tiger winning again seems to be age and gender biased.  Less than half of PGA TOUR pros think he will win again, while a whopping 72% of pros 50 and older think he will.  Meanwhile, 64% of LPGA pros think he’s done.

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Also, according to the poll, members of the Champion Tour are more likely to date a woman they met at a tournament.  Although, I question whether or not the PGA TOUR members just are comfortable enough to admit they’ve dated a golf bunny.

When it comes to that all important, much debated, Major vs. Medal question, if it wasn’t clear before, it should be crystal clear now.

71% said they would rather win a PGA Championship over a gold medal.  As one pro is quoted, “Gold would be cool, but a major is a major.”

But the poll didn’t stop there, it also asked “Players Championship or gold medal.”  And still, winning a gold medal finished a distant second, 62% to 38%.  Sorry, Olympics.

Finally, when asked if they would rather drive it like Dustin or putt like Jordan, that old phrase, “drive for show, putt for dough,” was proven true once again as 75% said they would rather putt like Jordan.

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Prior to reading the survey, I would have inserted an Ernie Els putting joke here.  Think I’ll pass.

Cover Photo via Flickr