What do top professional athletes do to keep their competitive juices flowing after they retire from their respective sports? Many take up golf, and some even show off their skills the celebrity pro-am circuit. But for a select few who want even higher stakes, there is the PRO Tour – an invitation-based tournament series created specifically for former pro athletes. The criteria for consideration: A player must have a minimum of two years of professional experience in their sport, a single verified golf handicap, and a demonstrated commitment to preparation, professionalism and competition.
Interested athletes can apply on the tour’s website to be considered for participation. In its inaugural season, the PRO Tour held six regular season events followed by two playoff events. Each event had a purse of $500,000. Top finishers in each event earn priority placement in subsequent events, while new additions to the tour rotate through the course of the season. The PRO Tour uses a modified Stableford scoring system, in which players earn positive or negative points on each hole based on their score. The player with the highest number of points over the course of the tournament wins.
It’s a fun and unique concept — and one that tennis-pro-turned-pickleball-pro Jack Sock was excited to be a part of, as he explained to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on this week’s episode of Subpar.
“They’re a blast,” Sock said of the PRO Tour events. “I played my first two this year in Biloxi (Miss., at Fallen Oak) and then PGA National.
PGA National it is famously tough, even for PGA Tour professionals, who play the course annually in the Cognizant Classic. Knost wanted to know: How was it for Sock?
“For the guys that play probably a little bit, obviously, on boxes, no excuses,” Sock began. “I arrived late, and then we had, on the first day, it was winds of 35 miles per hour. And then winds of 30 miles per hour, I think for the second day. It was a disaster.”
“At least it’s Stableford and you can take it,” Knost joked.
“Yeah, I mean that was honestly the best part,” Sock agreed. “Like, just throw one in the water and like, okay, maybe hit another one and then get out of there.
“But, yeah, the guys who shot well, they just ran the course, crazy,” he continued. “But the conditions were tough. But it’s still, it’s just fun to be here.”
Despite the tough playing conditions, Sock said he looks forward to playing more events as the PRO Tour prepares to launch its second season.
“If a PRO Tour opens up and I’m able to play, 100 percent, yes,” Sock said. “I just want to work on my game and kind of get more involved in the golf space in general as well, going forward in the future.”
For more from Sock, including how he managed to cultivate his incredible clubhead speedcheck out the full episode of Subpar below.