Wadkins: Modern players not as tough as us
- By Ryan Ballengee
- Aug 3, 2012 11:03 AM ET
Players have had a difficult time holding onto leads this year. Lanny Wadkins believes it is because of a lack of mental fortitude in the modern player.
"I'm just not sure I see the mental toughness in players that our era dealt with," he said Friday on "Morning Drive.”
"I'm not sure I see guys closing like some of us used to – myself, or Johnny MIller or Raymond Floyd. There was no question we were capable of taking the lead and extending it, and keep going. I think that's what you don't see sometimes."
The 1977 PGA champion can’t pinpoint why current players seem more prone to collapse under pressure, but he offers a theory.
"We grew up playing more match play, more money games, win at all cost," he said. "Today it's so much about how much (money) you're going to win."
As the paychecks have grown on the PGA Tour, the emphasis on the statistical minutiae of the game has as well. Wadkins believes champions don't need to worry about those numbers.
"There's so much more involved in the game with the stats and everything else," he said. "I've always been a believer that I've never seen a stat win a tournament."
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Tags: Lanny Wadkins
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Ballengee is a GolfChannel.com contributor who writes for GTC and Fantasy Insider.
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