Thursday, February 13, 2025, 10:11PM |  33°
MENU
Advertisement
Steve Wheatcroft reacts to his missed putt on the 15th hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 6, 2016.
1
MORE

Steve Wheatcroft at peace with decision to stop pro golf grind

Associated Press

Steve Wheatcroft at peace with decision to stop pro golf grind

Like a cold smack in the face, Steve Wheatcroft has no trouble remembering the moment when he realized it was time to move on from playing professional golf for a living. It stays with him a year later, not gnawing away at his stomach but rather reminding him why it was the right decision to make after nearly three decades as a player on the PGA Tour and two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Last summer, Wheatcroft played back-to-back days at the TPC Stadium course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., his home course, with two players from the European Tour and another from the PGA Tour. In very windy conditions, Wheatcroft shot 67 one day, 64 the next, at the site of the Players Championship, not only drumming his playing partners but, as he said, “beating them out of a bunch of money.”

It was a confident, uplifting and perfectly timed moment for Wheatcroft, who was getting ready to go back out and play three consecutive tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour and attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Advertisement

“These guys were like, dude, you are ready to go, you are going to win,” Wheatcroft said. “I had just played great. My confidence couldn’t have been higher.”

Dan McCarthy hits off #10 during the Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at the Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel.
Gerry Dulac
Dan McCarthy takes one-shot lead at Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational

Instead, the opposite happened. Wheatcroft, a Washington, Pa., native who went to Trinity High School, missed all three cuts and failed to qualify for the U.S. Open.

“At that point I just completely lost all drive,” Wheatcroft said. “I don’t know what just happened. I was excited to get these courses and I don’t have it. At that point, I started looking into the job world at the end of year and, when it came, I was almost relieved it was done.”

After 18 years as a professional golfer and $4.4 million in earnings, Wheatcroft had enough. It didn’t matter that he was just one year removed from playing on the PGA Tour or just three years from narrowly winning the Canadian Open (he had the lead with three holes to go). With a wife and two kids (ages 3 and 5) at home and a mortgage more suited to a PGA Tour player, he decided to retire at the end of 2019 and took a job with a finance company in Jacksonville.

Advertisement

“I played decent last year; I finished 43rd on the money list and I made about $108,000 in earnings,” Wheatcroft said. “But it probably cost me that much to do my job with the flights the hotels, the caddies. So I could pay for my golf expenses but I haven’t paid for anything at home. I probably lost $150,000 doing my job and I didn’t do it that badly. It’s kind of hard to say, ‘Let’s go sign up for that again, let’s go play some decent golf and lose $150,000.’ ”

Wheatcroft, who built his entire career through hard work, had another stunning realization.

“About midway through the year last year, I kind of lost my grind,” he said. “I’ve been a grinder for years. I’ve never been a great golfer. I’ve played at the highest levels, but I had to work really hard. I never realized how hard I had to work to be mediocre on the PGA Tour. And that’s fine. I’m fine with that. I don’t regret anything. I loved every minute I had out there.”

Just because he’s not playing for a living anymore doesn’t mean Wheatcroft stopped liking competition, even at a different level. He will back in his hometown area this week when he plays in the three-day Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational that begins Monday at the Pittsburgh Field Club, looking to win the $40,000 first prize.

Dan Obremski drives the ball at the Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational golf tournament on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, at the Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel.
Gerry Dulac
Irwin's Dan Obremski leads field after three rounds at Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational

He came close last year in his first appearance in the 72-hole event, losing in an eight-hole playoff to winner Michael Gligic. Ironically, it was Gligic who went on to earn a battlefield promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour this season. When Wheatcroft didn’t earn back his PGA Tour card, he went on to a new career.

“The thought of playing the PGA Tour again was great, the thought of playing another year on the Korn Ferry Tour almost made my stomach churn,” Wheatcroft said. “If you asked me that 10 years earlier, I would’ve had butterflies how excited I would be to get on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“But, with a wife and two kids and bills, people don’t understand — the Korn Ferry Tour is not built for 41-year-old struggling professionals; it’s built for 22-, 23- and 24-year old guys that are emerging and trying to get to the PGA Tour. When people called me and said, ‘Please don’t retire, what are you doing, it’s our dream,’ I had no problem sitting down with them and telling them how wrong they were. That was not a good situation for me.”

Full force

The National Golf Foundation, which tracks golfers and the operation of facilities around the country, estimated that 20 million rounds were lost around the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, they estimated that nearly $1 billion in golf course revenue was lost because of the virus.

While the NGF’s data is more researched than mine, I find its statistics about the number of rounds lost to be as wayward as shanked tee shot.

Nearly every person I’ve talked to — whether golfers, head professionals or golf-course owners — has seen a tremendous spike in play, most to record levels. Tee sheets are booked at most private clubs (one course had 336 players one day) and public facilities are crowded with golfers, new and old.

Not only are the regular golfers back playing to make up for lost time, but golf has seen an uptick in the recreational player who has decided to play more because it has been a healthy, outdoor option during an otherwise lockdown period. What’s more, people who have not played golf are deciding to do so for much the same reason, whether it’s at a course or driving ranges.

Yes, revenue is probably down because most courses were not allowed to open their pro shops or dining areas until just a couple weeks ago. And a lot of corporations or local charities have had to cancel or postpone their fundraising events.

But, some 20 million rounds lost? Just try to make a tee time or go to a course to see that is highly debatable.

Listen to “The Golf Show with Gerry Dulac” every Thursday, 7-8:30 p.m. on ESPN Pittsburgh

Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac

First Published: June 27, 2020, 11:00 a.m.

RELATED
Bryson DeChambeau drives on the 18th tee during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Sunday, July 5, 2020, at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit.
The Associated Press
Bulked up Bryson DeChambeau rockets to PGA Tour win in Detroit
Ryder Cup postponed until 2021 so fans can attend event
The Associated Press
Ryder Cup postponed until 2021 so fans can attend event
Amateur Darin Kowalski claims Pittsburgh Open title at his home course
Gerry Dulac
Amateur Darin Kowalski claims Pittsburgh Open title at his home course
Webb Simpson plays his shot from the 18th tee during the final round of the RBC Heritage on June 21, 2020 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Paul Zeise
Paul Zeise: PGA Tour offers some hope for team sports returning
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
A cutout batter sits in the bullpen at Pirate City, the spring training facility of the Pittsburgh Pirates, during a spring training baseball workout in Bradenton, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015.
1
sports
Joe Starkey: Bad news Pirates outdid themselves on Day 1
The administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro -- shown last week delivering the annual budget address -- on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the freeze of federal funding. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
2
news
Gov. Shapiro and Pa. agencies sue federal government over Trump administration funding freeze
Hockey legend Mario Lemieux hands Canada forward Sidney Crosby a commemorative banner prior to the first period of 4 Nations Face-Off hockey action against Sweden in Montreal, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
3
sports
Jason Mackey: Fenway Sports Group's tepid relationship with Mario Lemieux must improve
Salem’s Market beat out three other finalists in 2021 for the right to operate the Hill District store.
4
business
Hill District Salem's Market halting operations one year after opening
Competitors in the Flagship Ice Open wait to get started in the predawn darkness on Feb. 1. The event drew 51 two-person teams.
5
life
Lake Erie ice fishing tournament pulls in over 100 anglers and a 2.17-pound yellow perch
Steve Wheatcroft reacts to his missed putt on the 15th hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 6, 2016.  (Associated Press )
Associated Press
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story