What Makes a Star?

Watching the final round of The Masters today and a thought occurred to me, what makes a golf star a star? Theres been much made this week of all the stars and names are back together meaning better competition, more fan interest and overall, more juice. But what makes a player into a star in the sport of golf?

Sports stars are a dime a dozen in some sports. In the NBA and NFL there are easier 30-60 legitimate active stars at any given time. Stars are who we come to see when their team comes to town, they’re the faces that are up outside stadium and in promos for the marquee game. They sell us insurance and sandwiches relentlessly on TV. Who is that in golf? Who’s face would you hang on a banner outside the Phoenix Open?

Why don’t we start with the definition of a star in golf. A star by corporate and broadcast standards has be to recognizable, known. So lets start with that, if I showed a bunch of casual golf fans or just golfers at a course waiting to tee off a series of head shots without context would they know who that person is? If I showed my wife a picture of Michael Jordan in a suit she would know that’s Michael Jordan, same goes for Tiger Woods. If I showed my wife a picture of JJ Redick in a suit she would have zero clue who he was or what he did, I think the same goes for Kevin Kisner. Are they known within their sport? Of course. Are they stars? Nope. That’ll be our definition of a star.  

Let’s start with the most obvious, golf stars are made by their performance, like any other athlete; excellence creates stars. For example, Tiger, and currently Scottie, have become stars through their excellence. This method of star-making produces very few golfers that people connect with for their whole careers though because no one (except Tiger and Jack) can stay on top for very long unlike say basketball. Shaq didn’t just lose his low post game one day the way accuracy can abandon a golfer. That excellence has to be truly transcendent though to have staying power.

There are plenty of golfers that went on a tear for a time and are no longer needle movers. Jason Day, despite his outfits this week, was a star for a brief period; Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott all were world no 1 and dominated for a time but as that dominance faded so did they. Only a select few have been able to dominate and remained stars after they have been surpassed. That fall is even more precipitous for those who don’t reach those lofty heights. Top ten players come and go like the wind only to be forgotten in an instant. Remember Daniel Berger? He’s been sidelined with injuries for nearly two seasons, he was a Ryder Cup player, a PGA tour winner, and top 20 in the world at one point. Would you know who he has if he was standing in line behind you at Starbuck’s? That’s because aside from the talent, the ability, and winning you have to be actually interesting, you have to connect with the fans aside from on the scoreboard. Golfer’s are probably worse at this than any other major sport.  

In the vast majority of cases, stars are made early in their careers, they come out of the gates hot and grab those eyeballs. This has worked for some many in the early social media and internet days. Rory, JT, Spieth, Brooks, DJ were fired out of the gates once they were finally on the PGA tour and made the most of their shot in the big league. Even Jack Nicklaus was the young “it” guy when he broke into the tour, connecting with a younger audience. Marketing also loves these meteoric stars because that’s the demographic golf is and has always been after. Males age 18-35. They have staying power too. Rickie Fowler has been struggling for several years and has just now seen a resurgence, but his gallery crowds and endorsements have not been affected by his level of play in that time. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have similarly struggled on and off again but have not been forgotten or dismissed by the golf fan. They remember the good times, the thrills, the naïve kid who just knew he could hit any shot on the planet. They want to see just one more glimpse of that guy. They don’t want to admit that time has passed. They’ll always be stars to some because those people will never forget.  

What does this all boil down to? What is the secret sauce? What is the easiest way to be a star in golf? Be goddamn interesting. Be five percent interesting, just anything. Give the people something to talk about, to grab on to. Don’t just tip your hat with six logos on it with a tepid little smile, scuttle off to a flat press conference and fade into the darkness of the parking lot. Be a person, be a professional athlete, be someone to look to. Max Homa, Bryson, Jon Daly are all poster children for this. Bryson gets outsized attention despite his limited wins. Why? Fans want to see what he’ll do or say next, will be make his own putter? Will he have a feud with another golfer, will he attempt to drive it over the clubhouse at Pinehurst? Who knows?! Max Homa engaged with fans through social media back before he made the leap talent-wise. Showing he is a real, and very funny, person through these interactions gave people a window into who he is, and what he was about. His roars and groans this past weekend at august bears out that a great many people felt a connection with him, nearly everyone was pulling for him on Sunday. Jon Daly, for better and def for worse, lived his life in public and wore his demons on his sleeve for all to see. But this made his victories all the more endearing and poignant when they came, to see the man overcoming himself and not just his competitors.  

Golf desperately needs its players to realize they’re professional athletes, the fans are their life blood and that being a professional golfer is more than corporate hand shaking and baby holding. Become a star, make the people care. Until next time I’ll be here being a star in my own right.

-          The Starter