“This is the hardest game ever” - Boxing Star Canelo Alvarez on his dream of playing in the PGA Tour one day
Canelo Alvarez is best known as a fighter, but if he has his way, he will eventually be known for being a golfer on the PGA Tour. Like many athletes, he plays golf in his free time and participates in celebrity events. He'd like to become a professional and not an amateur, though.
Alvarez described his dream as impossible, which may well be the case. Being a pro golfer is hard enough for golfers, let alone boxers. He has some skill, but making it as a pro is a tall task.
He recently opened up on this dream via Mirror:
"This is the hardest game ever. Well, golf is harder for me. I’ve boxed since I was a kid. Comes easy to me. It is harder to be consistent at golf. One shot can be great but the next terrible. One round great, next day horrible. One tiny alteration in making the shot can mean a big difference."
He continued:
"We’ll see. It would be amazing if I could make the Tour. Fantastic if I ever got to play in a major. Almost everyone says it can’t be done because I started the game so late."
Making the PGA Tour as a former athlete would admittedly be a pretty big surprise. Most golfers become pros out of college or after spending time on amateur tours. Making it after playing an entirely different sport for most of one's life would be impressive, even for Canelo Alvarez.
The 32-year-old once told the Los Angeles Times why he likes golf:
“Golf is competitive, and I am very competitive. That’s why I love it... I love what the game of golf brings to my life. It’s a challenge for me to be a better golfer and better player. Golf makes me feel calm in my personal life and in my boxing, too."
Can that love turn into a professional berth?
New PGA Tour record set in just April
Speaking of professionals on the PGA Tour, perhaps the best golfer in the world right now just set an unbelievable record. Jon Rahm's unprecedented run of success to begin the season has set the Tour money record.
Here's what Rahm has earned for which placements:
- The CJ Cup in South Carolina
- T4
- $462,000
- Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Win
- $2,700,000
- The American Express
- Win
- $1,440,00
- Farmers Insurance Open
- T7
- $282,750
- WM Phoenix Open
- 3
- $1,380,000
- Genesis Invitational
- Win
- $3,600,000
- Arnold Palmer Invitational
- T39
- $70,029
- Players Championship
- WD
- $0
- WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
- T31
- $113,762
- Masters Tournament
- Win
- $3,240,000
- RBC Heritage
- T15
- $335,000
- Mexico Open
- 2
- $839,300
That comes to a total of $14,462,840 through the month of April.
Scottie Scheffler held the record after he earned $14,046,910 last season. The record didn't last long, obviously. Before that, Jordan Spieth’s 2015 season earned him $12,030,465. That record that stood for seven years. He won two majors that season.
With half the year remaining, it seems likely that Rahm's PGA Tour record will only go up. Part of the reason is his impressive play, but there's also more money available now.