Gambling On Tour Isn't What It Used To Be

There was a time when some tour players earned more in practice-round money games than they did in the actual tournament. That's not the case anymore. Jim McCabe writes about the demise of the Tuesday money game in Sunday's Boston Globe. In it he recounts practice rounds at the 1999 Masters, where John Daly allegedly lost $60,000 to Phil Mickelson and John Huston.

As McCabe writes, very few of today's tour players are interested in playing for big bucks before the tournament starts.

"I can't be bothered. I put an awful lot into my game. I really have to focus hard on [practice days]," says Jerry Kelly. "I'm playing for titles. I don't have many of them, but that's what keeps my adrenaline up all the time. I'd much rather make my money on the all-time money list than the unreported income."

"I'd rather just go around and hit extra balls and stuff like that, rather than worrying about things on Tuesday," says David Toms.

And this from Jeff Sluman: "I'd rather buy a nice bottle of wine than blow it when some guy makes a 40-footer on the 18th with six presses."