Paul Azinger doesn’t like you
Paul Azinger doesn’t really want to deal with you. The GCSAA blog followed Fred Klauk, the superintendent for TPC Sawgrass, for a few hours on Wednesday going through his routine. Something of note occurred at the 4:10 mark. (Abate is assistant superintendent Jim Abate.)
4:10 p.m. — While waiting for the rep to deliver the club, Klauk receives a call from Abate, who was stopped by Paul Azinger as he came off the range. Azinger apparently suggested to Abate that several shrubs be removed overnight to create a walkway to the clubhouse that would keep the players away from autograph seekers that line the already established path. Klauk doesn’t know what to say. “Can you believe that?” he asks.
This is typical Paul Azinger. Another example of his contempt for fans happened last year during ABC’s telecast of the John Deere Classic. Jason Gore was in the greenside bunker on the 18th hole on Sunday when he hit his shot from the bunker into the water hazard. A double bogey later, Gore had dropped from 3rd place to 10th place - which meant a check for $80,000 instead of $180,000. Apparently somebody in the gallery laughed at Gore when he hit his shot into the water. Let’s get this cleared up front before we go any further - the person who laughed is a classless jerk. But here was Azinger’s response on TV.
“You know, every once in awhile you’ll hit shots like that and hear people in the gallery laughing and you want to just go in there and…[Azinger makes sound effects of slapping and punching people]…’cause they don’t understand the value of what’s going on out there.”
Yup - us idiots in the gallery just don’t understand the value of people making hundereds of thousands of dollars for playing golf for a living. Forgive us lowly peasants, please, Paul for interrupting your pompous life. This is supposed to be the guy that’s going to bring the Ryder Cup back to America? Yeah right.
Popularity: 9% [?]
I believe the year was 1988. I was 15 and a golf enthusiast for about 2 years. I had chosen Paul Azinger as my “favorite player” of the time (though I came to love the game when I started to play and saw on television, in my opinion, the best sporting event ever played, when Jack won the Masters in 1986). I was blessed to attend the practice rounds of the ‘88 Masters and the only thing I really wanted was to get an autograph from Paul Azinger. As we looked for Paul, we later found out that he had arrived there late on Tues. or Wed. and we chased him down and followed him for a couple of holes. At a time when it would have been appropriate for him to sign some autographs, I stood outside the ropes with my friend Ted (whose father had financed the trip for us to attend from Missouri), hoping to get Paul’s autograph. I vividly remember Paul walking by us with our scorecard held out for my idol’s signature, when he looked at us with contempt, scoffed, and walked past. It changed my view of the event and, of my idol.
Last year, as a 34 year old, I attended my next major. After three days of practice rounds at the PGA championship at Southern Hills, I was graciously offered autographs by multiple winners of Majors, and thought back to a time when golf was not as popular as it is today, and yet one player (my idol), was not willing to give an autograph to a couple of kids that only cared about him.
I felt compelled to respond to this website because I didn’t realize that “Zinger” was known to have contempt for fans. I can say with experience that it is an old habit, obviously hard to break. Needless to say, I am not impressed with the Ryder Cup leader selection.
Matt-
Thanks for the feedback. Azinger has further fueled the contempt this week with his recent comments on Nick Faldo. I liked Azinger many years ago, but the more we find out about the guy…