Oil prices have just passed $120 a barrel for the first time. You and I feel the strain even when we're filling up our gas cans to transport the liquid gold to our lawnmowers.
Lenox Rawlings of the Winston-Salem Journal had an interesting concept for a column from the PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship last week.
Rawlings asked Tour players, few of whom are staying in Super 8's and eating at Subway, for their thoughts on today's financial times.
One player Rawlings quoted is Cedar Rapids native Zach Johnson. Among his comments:
"Recession? You don't hear people talking about a recession out here. There might be a few guys who talk a lot about the stock market and keep up with that, but I'm not one of them."
"Gas prices aren't something I hear much about out here.
If you didn't know Johnson, you'd think these selected quotes make him sound like an isolated rich guy. But as his wont, he was just speaking the truth. Like most people who are in top 50 or 100 or 250 in their profession in the world, PGA Tour pros aren't plagued with worries about things like whether gas is going to hop up another dime per gallon tomorrow.
Johnson did the Super 8/Subway thing not that many years ago when he was playing the Hooters and Nationwide tours. A big reason he has attained the success he had is, no pun intended, he hasn't forgotten what it's like to be hungry.
Rawlings' column:
No Recession on PGA Tour