Old Mike was at the John Deere Classic's media day Monday, featuring defending champion Jonathan Byrd. Young Byrd, who seems to be grounded and amiable, had earned $264,000 the day before at the AT&T Classic.
For finishing fourth.
I had to ask him if pocketing a check that size felt bizarre or surreal. You wonder if these guys with all their endorsements and opportunties understand that kind of money doesn't come most peoples' way.
"It's bizarre," Byrd replied immediately. "It just doesn't seem fair, does it, for playing golf?"
"Yesterday, I mean, it just seems surreal. I mean my brother's an assistant golf coach at Clemson. We were joking on the phone last night. He was joking about he wanted to borrow some money.
"But there's a lot of great jobs out there that don't pay like our job.
And I feel very blessed and lucky that I have a well-paying job and it doesn't seem right sometimes. But I'm just grateful. It's just a lot of fun to be able to go play golf and get paid the way we do."
Byrd had the 36-hole lead and would have earned over a million bucks had he held on to win. Nice work if you can get it. To get it, of course, you just have to be among the best couple hundred of people in the world at your profession.
"I eagled the last hole yesterday," said Byrd, "came to the last hole, hit a great 3-iron on the green and made a 40-footer to go from ( a tie for sixth)to fourth alone. My sister-in-law texted me last night and said that putt was worth $99,000.
"I've had plenty of holes where I've bogeyed the last hole and it's cost me a bunch, too."
No jealous or catty remarks here. Athletes in pro team sports get paid if their teams win or lose, or even if they're hurt. If golfers don't make the 36-hole cut, they go home with the middle of a doughnut and nobody to blame it on but themselves.
And, they have to pay their coaches. Which is a concept coaches everywhere can surely get behind.