Struggling DP World Tour player reveals just how expensive pro golf can be
Tour Life
Struggling DP World Tour player reveals just how expensive pro golf can be
Ross Kinnaird
Earlier today, we shared the story of a tour pro having a particularly rough week. For another, however, it’s just been a rough year altogether. And on Friday, he revealed just how costly a slump can be when golf is your day job.
Scott Hend shouldn’t need much of an introduction to avid golf fans. The long-hitting Aussie is a three-time European Tour winner, a 10-time Asian Tour winner, and he played on the PGA Tour for a couple seasons, even leading the tour in driving distance in 2005.
But since his last worldwide win three years ago at the Maybank Championship, it’s been a bit of a struggle, particularly in 2022. Hend has entered nine tournaments and failed to make a single cut. And he shared just how expensive it is to play pro golf around the world when you’re not making any money.
Ouch. And as Hend explained in subsequent tweets, that doesn’t include all his expenditures from home. Again, ouch. The life of golf’s elite is often glamorized, but being a tour pro—a regular tour pro—is tough.
Hend added that good tour pros usually hope to make enough money off the course to cover their annual expenses. However, he didn’t say if his current endorsement situation makes that true.
Regardless, you’ve gotta love the attitude from a man who has earned more than $8 million on the course since turning pro a quarter century ago. “This is pro golf people and I love it. Better times coming soon.”
And better paychecks. Of course, any paychecks would be better at this point. Hang in there, Scott.
