Watching the Masters today made me wonder, is there anything more pressure packed in sports than being a pro golfer? I don't know how they can keep it together in a major. It's the golfer and only them that can determine their destiny. They have to stand perfectly still too and be mentally prepared before every stroke. In pretty much every other sport your teammates can make up for your mistakes, so you don't always have to play well. I would say tennis singles would be a close second, but your opponent can always give you a free point when they fail to return the ball in bounds. Pitching in softball/baseball and goalkeeping in sports that have a keeper would probably be next followed by a QB in football.

4/14/2014 12:33:13 AM

You don't compete against anyone directly in golf, so that knocks it down the list.

Pitching/goaltending have all of those mental challenges PLUS someone is actively trying to defeat them at all times.

4/14/2014 12:36:09 AM

Poor pro golfers. Imagine if they had tens of thousands of people yelling while they did their job.

So much pressure to know that if you miss a winning putt and finish in 2nd place at the Masters you'll only get $972,000. What tremendous athletes.

but enough bashing the entitled golfers

someone make a legit argument that sinking a 10 foot putt to win an event is more pressure packed than being down 2 points and having to knock down 2 free throws with 20,000 people screaming and heckling you

or kicking a 45 yard field goal with 70,000 people yelling at the top of their lungs

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 12:45 AM. Reason : lol golf]

4/14/2014 12:38:00 AM

from a certain perspective, I have to vote for F1/racecar drivers. they're the only sportsmen who are constantly in danger of losing their lives while competing. still, driving an F1 not the same as batting in the bottom of the 9th of the world series, since the odds of crashing and dying are much lower than the odds of striking out.

that said, I guess ultimately I vote for field goal kickers/penalty kick takers. the whole game, and the fortunes of their whole teams, rest entirely on these guys' shoulders.

4/14/2014 12:46:53 AM

Quote :

"You don't compete against anyone directly in golf, so that knocks it down the list. Pitching/goaltending have all of those mental challenges PLUS someone is actively trying to defeat them at all times."

Yeah, but the spotlight isn't always on a gk when the defenders are doing their job. A gk can actually screw up multiple times and still come out the winner thanks to his teammate's hat trick and the fact that the defense didn't let the other team get a shot on frame for the rest of the game. Golfers can't double bogey two holes in a row and hand the clubs to their teammate and tell them to go make up for their mistakes. It's all on them to perform well.

4/14/2014 12:49:46 AM

golf is the least amount of pressure because when you fuck up, you are the only one you let down. Theres no huge fanbase that wishes you never existed, no teammates that you let down and no trade/contract issues.

4/14/2014 12:50:36 AM

NFL quarterback is arguably the most pressure packed

I mean, name a golfer or tennis player or soccer goalie scrutinized as much as Tony Romo

4/14/2014 12:54:23 AM

There are plenty of soccer goalies who are scrutinized as much as Tony Romo. They just don't play in America.

4/14/2014 12:57:45 AM

Maybe. But who? It's not just Cowboys fans that criticize Romo, it's basically 100,000,000 Americans.

4/14/2014 1:00:29 AM

Quote :

"golf is the least amount of pressure because when you fuck up, you are the only one you let down. Theres no huge fanbase that wishes you never existed, no teammates that you let down and no trade/contract issues."

I was looking at the question from the perspective of an athlete having to use their skills in the competition and not so much the fact that your team is in the World Cup Final, or Super Bowl. I think you could put snapping, holding, or kicking in football near the top too. It's all on you on that one down. A QB can fail to lead his team to a first down, or TD on first down and then try again on second down.

4/14/2014 1:03:29 AM

again, every sport but golf has people yelling while you do your job

how can you not factor that in?

4/14/2014 1:06:48 AM

It depends on how voracious a criticism it takes to get counted. Is a Cowboys fan or Stephen A. Smith losing their shit the same as a fireman in Boston going, "Jeez, Romo, ouch!" over highlights with his morning coffee?

I dunno how many fans Manchester United are purported to have, but all of their fans plus everyone else in Europe was talking about Tim Howard back in the day (especially after his gaffe against Porto). Whether that number is comparable to 100,000,000 Americans on Monday morning is something I can't say.

4/14/2014 1:09:12 AM

Quote :

"again, every sport but golf has people yelling while you do your job how can you not factor that in?"

It's like this, the GK on my men's soccer team is pretty good. So is my sweeper. Sometimes I get burned by faster players, but it's no big deal because they are there to back me up and when we are dominating possession our GK is under no real pressure to perform well. When you're golfing at any level (high school, rec league, college, pro), it is all on you to do everything correct. You don't have a teammate that can take over for you in 1 vs 1 stroke play. Plus in some situations the roar of the crowd and your teammates playing well can give you an adrenaline rush that can actually relax you when playing team sports.

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 1:33 AM. Reason : .]

4/14/2014 1:26:52 AM

relief pitcher coming in with the bases loaded

4/14/2014 1:29:53 AM

^^a home crowd might pump you up if you're a defensive football player or something...not shooting free throws on the road

and lol at rec soccer as a comparison for pro athletes...no offense

your argument seems to be that players in individual sports like golf and tennis are under more pressure than players in team sports because there's nobody to make up for your mistakes

i'd argue you need to factor in that in team sports there are more people you're letting down if you fuck up

a golfer or tennis player only lets down themselves and their coach/caddie. in team sports, you let down your team, fans, organization, etc

is there more pressure to bust impressive ropes when you're jerking off, or trying to pleasure a woman?

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 1:40 AM. Reason : .]

4/14/2014 1:37:38 AM

^^That is why I put pitching 3rd behind Golf and Tennis. There is a lot of focus on the pitcher, but they still have teammates who make up for their errors when they don't throw a strike. The infielders can make a play and throw the runner out at first. Even if you do give up a run before getting out the inning in a lot of situations your teammates probably have a chance to bat again and win the game.

Quote :

"^^a home crowd might pump you up if you're a defensive football player or something...not shooting free throws on the road and lol at rec soccer as a comparison for pro athletes...no offense your argument seems to be that players in individual sports like golf and tennis are under more pressure than players in team sports"

Like I said, I was thinking more along the lines of the athletes and not pro vs college/regular season vs playoffs. I think there is a lot less pressure on the athletes in team sports at any level since their teammates can make up for their mistakes sometimes.


[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 1:45 AM. Reason : .]

4/14/2014 1:39:59 AM

by your own argument, saying that teammates can make up for your mistakes in team sports...a golfer can benefit from another golfer fucking up

either way, you're depending on other people

yet in golf, the crowd is forced to be silent because it's fucking golf

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 1:43 AM. Reason : .]

4/14/2014 1:42:50 AM

^Being able to hear a pin drop at a golf tournament, or tennis match doesn't mean there is no pressure. In fact that can almost make it worse because you know that all eyes are on you and only you. I think that is why some basketball players are great players, but poor free throw shooters. In basketball you can miss a shot in the flow of play, get the ball back off of a rebound, and score on a dunk. The crowd will go nuts and the player will feel good. But when you step to that foul line and everyone is standing still there is that added pressure that comes with knowing everyone is looking at you and only you.

4/14/2014 1:53:12 AM

I agree with the fact that something like free throws put all of the attention on you. But I think in pretty much anything in life, it's easier to concentrate in (relative) silence compared to having a ton of people yelling at you and telling you how much you suck, which isn't allowed in golf

I guess my argument to your overall view of individual sports, or situations, being more pressure packed than things in team sports is that you have the pressure of letting a lot more people down in team sports. Late game passing situations in football: throw a pick, and you've let down yourself and your teammates. Miss late game free throws and you've let down yourself and your teammates. Strike out in the bottom of the 9th and you've let down yourself and your teammates.

Miss a putt, without any distractions, and you've let down yourself. And in the Masters this year, you only made $972,000. What pressure.

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 1:59 AM. Reason : fuck golfers]

4/14/2014 1:57:45 AM

^I kind of look at sports like a wedding. My uncle doesn't like speaking to crowds, so he wouldn't do a reading from the Bible at some weddings in the family in the past. His wife had to hold his hand and stand next to him when he spoke to a silent crowd at his daughters wedding reception that was made up of family and friends. Once that was over everyone started drinking, dancing, and socializing. The music was blasting and he didn't even look nervous during the father daughter dance.

4/14/2014 2:09:33 AM

I say NFL kicker. Everyone already thinks that you really aren't part of the team, so if you go out there and fuck up a winning FG then you are really shit on. Even if you make it, it's usually the QB or someone else who gets credit. And if the coach doesn't "ice" you, you can't even get a practice kick in.

4/14/2014 6:53:21 AM

^^^If there was steady noise it would be one thing. However, when fans are standing less than 10 feet from you it's the individual who yells that fucks things up. Not a group. Also, if you're comparing taking a free throw to trying to get a club head square at 100+ miles an hour with the Masters on the line where you have to land the ball in a 10 foot radius to catch the right slope...you're making it seem a bit easier than it is, no?

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 7:06 AM. Reason : p]

4/14/2014 6:56:54 AM

I'm gonna say soccer player, because some of those crazy south american/african fans will kill you if you fuck up.

4/14/2014 7:32:13 AM

Quote :

"I mean, name a golfer or tennis player or soccer goalie scrutinized as much as Tony Romo"

Tiger

I still agree that there is more pressure on the QB though for this reason:

Quote :

"golf is the least amount of pressure because when you fuck up, you are the only one you let down. Theres no huge fanbase that wishes you never existed, no teammates that you let down and no trade/contract issues."

4/14/2014 10:31:43 AM

F1 drivers

4/14/2014 10:37:26 AM

Quote :

"someone make a legit argument that sinking a 10 foot putt to win an event is more pressure packed than being down 2 points and having to knock down 2 free throws with 20,000 people screaming and heckling you or kicking a 45 yard field goal with 70,000 people yelling at the top of their lungs"

If being a pro golfer is so easy how come you aren't one TT?

4/14/2014 11:45:04 AM

How about soccer manager? Not easy managing clubs like United/Real Madrid.

4/14/2014 11:48:09 AM

the thing about golf/tennis is that you're doing it for MONEY. and if you stop winning, you stop collecting checks basically immediately.

if you're playing in the finals at a tennis grand slam event, for instance, the winner gets about $2m, the loser about $1m. so that's a tennis match w/ $1m directly on the line. that never happens in team sports.

4/14/2014 12:38:34 PM

Quote :

"F1 drivers"

i'm with dtownral on this one. out of everything mentioned so far the margin of error is insane and money's an afterthought when one wrong twitch could kill you in a really horrible way.

4/14/2014 1:12:43 PM

Quote :

"the thing about golf/tennis is that you're doing it for MONEY. and if you stop winning, you stop collecting checks basically immediately."

current PGA money list:

#5 Jordan Speith 0 wins. $2.6 million winnings.

yep. he ain't making no money.

4/14/2014 2:52:42 PM

^ that's a flat out stupid thing for you to have typed.

4/14/2014 2:55:28 PM

I see a bunch of non-golfers attempting to downplay how hard it is to play under pressure. Especially major championship pressure.

It's quite amusing.

4/14/2014 3:01:39 PM

Quote :

"name a golfer or tennis player or soccer goalie scrutinized as much as Tony Romo"

Tiger Woods

As for the most pressure...easily:

1.) Wingsuit Flying-you screw up you die...your parachute malfunctions, you die.
2.) Air Racers-you screw up...you're dead.
3.) Bull fighters-you make a wrong move, you're dead or scarred for life.

Now if you strictly mean big revenue sports just look at soccer games and the fans that kill players for not doing well. Bill Buckner is another good example in baseball.

Big revenue-pitchers in the world series. All the pressure is on your arm.

4/14/2014 3:16:18 PM

Another thing unique to Golf is the duration which a lot of these players have to shoulder that pressure. The pressure rises with each round and then you have to think about it all night as you prepare and try to sleep for the next day. I think I heard that Bubba was the first 54 hole leader to ever win at the Masters. That alone speaks to how pressure-packed a major golf tournament is.

I think it's impossible to argue a clear "winner" as the most pressure packed, just because the sports and the situations are so vastly different. However, I might argue that Pro Golf may be the most torturous, given of how long it can take and how you can see and feel a lead eroding so slowly. You can psych yourself out before every shot and beat yourself up after every shot. ahh what a game.

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]

4/14/2014 3:19:26 PM

Quote :

" I think I heard that Bubba was the first 54 hole leader to ever win at the Masters. That alone speaks to how pressure-packed a major golf tournament is. "

I don't think that alone speaks to that assertion at all. It speaks to the fact that you are playing against the best golfers in the world and it's hard to keep up that level of play for four days. Golf isn't a sport where if you're the best athlete or best shooter/pitcher/hitter...you're going to be able to remain on top. There are tons of other variables...but I don't think pressure is the variable that keeps guys from leading for 3 straight rounds.

4/14/2014 3:23:31 PM

agreed^

4/14/2014 3:25:08 PM

golf is nearly completely about dealing w/ pressure. it's like shooting free throws all day.

4/14/2014 3:25:33 PM

Quote :

"I think I heard that Bubba was the first 54 hole leader to ever win at the Masters. That alone speaks to how pressure-packed a major golf tournament is. "

There's no way that's true. I know for sure Tiger has held the 54 hole lead and won multiple times.

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 3:41 PM. Reason : I don't think he's ever won any of his 14 without the 54 hole lead]

4/14/2014 3:38:28 PM

Except professional golf is like a collection of the world's best free throw shooters. They're all 90+% ft shooters with the top 30 being 95+%. Every now and then their form is a little off, or they hit a bad spot on the fairway, or miss the right spot on the green by a few inches and the ball rolls 90 feet away.

I'm not saying there isn't any pressure in golf...but it's not nearly as much as you people are arguing.

4/14/2014 3:41:10 PM

I don't think anyone is arguing whether or not the pressure exists, but rather exactly how hard it becomes to play under those conditions.

4/14/2014 3:44:17 PM

what, pray tell, makes a professional golfer fuck up his form?

4/14/2014 3:45:10 PM

What makes a Scott Wood miss a free throw in practice? Because I assure you he doesn't hit every single one. Nobody's form is perfect 100% of the time. Fatigue has a lot to do with it as well.

4/14/2014 3:50:01 PM

Pressure is obviously such a big part of golf that it's basically what they're practicing. That's why I don't wonder how the pros do it. They do it because that's what golf is. They step up and do their routine over and over and over again.

4/14/2014 4:17:52 PM

^^ it's like you've never picked up a golf club.

do you think wood makes the same percent in practice as in a game? OH MY GOD, WHAT'S DIFFERENT?

4/14/2014 4:55:47 PM

Well, while we're on this topic, I think we should all be clear that golf is not a sport. It's a fetish.

4/14/2014 4:59:47 PM

^^ I'm not surprised you're completely missing the point.

4/14/2014 5:02:24 PM

Quote :

"If being a pro golfer is so easy how come you aren't one TT?"

Same reason you're not a professional basketball player or placekicker

4/14/2014 5:04:20 PM

gotta be baseball, right? I mean with the pressure of the batters to go for a single or risk it in the outfield, and then think of the pitcher who just has the whole world leaning on his back.

that is my vote.

4/14/2014 6:07:38 PM

My list would be:
1. Professional golfer- it takes a lot of skill, but so much of it is mental. You are constantly making minor adjustments on every stroke. I'd be playing a lot of head games with myself. I don't know about everybody else.
2. Major league baseball player at bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, down by 1 run, game 7 of World Series, tying run on second

4/14/2014 6:20:48 PM

Quote :

"^^ I'm not surprised you're completely missing the point."

you're actually the one missing the point, but you knew that.

you and TreeTwista10; keepin' it real.

here's a thought experiment for you:
what's more pressure packed, shooting a free throw or driving the lane? now what's more pressure packed, shooting a free throw or hitting a golf ball?

[Edited on April 14, 2014 at 7:29 PM. Reason : if you said driving the lane, then you're wrong already.]

4/14/2014 7:25:18 PM