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The True Definition of "Bagger"

I just went onto the PDGA website to look up a local player who recently won a tournament. The tournament wasn't listed with his information so I then looked up the actual tournament results. What was disturbing was that the guy who won the Advanced division would have placed second in the Open division. The guy who won the Advanced Masters division would have won outright the Pro Masters division. Maybe they are just afraid of cash. Or they don't like a challenge. I don't get it.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jay Dub on July 30, 2011 at 7:13am

Maybe they just had a good day at golf?

Permalink Reply by Larry Mann I am on July 30, 2011 at 7:42am

This is the result of an effort that started years ago when the pdga killed the over 35 Masters div.

Permalink Reply by Larry Mann I am on July 30, 2011 at 7:44am

Now the old pdga is the APDGA.

Permalink Reply by Jay Dub on July 30, 2011 at 8:31am

AARPDGA?

Permalink Reply by Azoni on August 1, 2011 at 11:48pm

Love it! I'm almost at that age. Do I get insurance and a discount at tournaments with that?

Permalink Reply by Daddy_Dragon on July 30, 2011 at 7:52am

I played in a tourney that the divisions were split.

The first weekend was "Pro".

The second weekend was "Am"

I played in the "AM" and there was a guy that had previously played in the "Pro"

and lost. But that weekend during the "AM" he won.

He had said something about his "Player rating" allowing him to choose and/or play both.

Is the "Player Rating" that vast, that people are given the opportunity to play both "Pro" and "AM".

Shouldn't there be a cut off point in which you have to play at a certain level ?

Permalink Reply by Shawn Boucké on July 30, 2011 at 8:45am

I say they had a good day. Forget about the word bagger.

Permalink Reply by DiscGolfFlyMart.com on July 30, 2011 at 11:31am

the rules are the rules...Indiana States...Mike 'the Machine' Austin won Advanced on Saturday and came back on Sunday to play pro masters....I don't think he cashed. I had a good day about 10 years ago playing advance masters and beat the Pro masters and my division by 22 strokes. I then played Pro Masters til after the Am Worlds in 2001 which was my last Am event. Had I cashed in Pro I would have turned the cash down....after Am worlds I won my 1st 3 events as a Pro Master in a row...I guess my point is if it's ok in the rule book it is OK....I recommend everyone bumping up a division...it's the only way you will get better...Bart ...11924

PS. The year I turned 40 they changed the masters age from 35-45 to 40-50 allowing me to play as a master for 15 years....if I feel young that day I will play open...

Permalink Reply by Jeff Nichols on July 30, 2011 at 1:33pm

Isn't the "Cash" what it all comes down to for the people that ARE good enough to play Open Div? What I mean is, once you accept a CASH Prize, you can NO longer play as an AM, right? Maybe some question their ability to constantly play at Open level, Or, they just like being able to play Both divisions by Not accepting cash... I am sorry if I am off base here, I just thought it was actually COOL to be able to play multiple divisions. It does suck if some people use the rule to "Bag" it though.

Permalink Reply by Justin on July 30, 2011 at 8:27pm

I believe even if a player accepts cash, he can reclassify as AM as long as his rating is not above 970.

Permalink Reply by Jim Coonradt on July 30, 2011 at 3:08pm

There is no way that they "just had a good day". Obviously they had talent to play that well. Here is a link to those tournament results and you can see for yourself...

http://www.pdga.com/tournament_results/69491

Both players wiped the field in their divisions by a considerable amount, in Advanced by six strokes and in Advanced Masters by thirteen strokes. I mean, I could really care less if you don't like to take money in a tournament but to me it seems like a waste of time to not challenge yourself. To me a "bagger" is someone who is afraid to push themselves and hangs onto a lower division like a safety blanket. I have never had that mentality so I just don't get it. Maybe they are just trying to get into Am Worlds. I just believe that you will do your best when you go up against the best.

Also I'm not trying to make any statement against those individuals in the example listed because I just don't know them. I doubt that this result is unique either. I'm sure it happens all of the time.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Boucké on July 30, 2011 at 6:06pm

Their average ratings are 945, and 948. Good scores, but nothing that would be bagger worthy. 970 is the cut off for Am1. if they were both right around 970, I could see the reasoning.

The 945 guy has been around 940 all year. The other guy at 948 (I think the Advanced Masters) Was just over 900 at the beginning of the year, and in 2009 he was in the 700 point range. It really looks like they just had really good rounds. It looks like pretty soon they will both have to move up, especially if they keep throwing the way the did at the tournament.

They are not baggers... They just had a good day