When's it time for a PGA Tour pro to give up and call it a day?

From the outside, the life of a PGA Tour pro seems to be nothing but cash money and private planes and free clubs and golf week after week on the finest courses in the world. From the inside, it's very different, a world where the perks of the system don't outweigh the pain that comes from losing for decades on end.

Harrison Frazar is an undistinguished pro who nonetheless is better than every single person you've ever played against, ever. He's earned more than $9.3 million on Tour.  He notched a 59 in Q School in 2008. He's come in second in four tournaments. And now, he's realizing that the game is pulling him apart.

In an essay written for SI Golf, he breaks down the way his mindset has eroded, from a love of the game to a desperate desire to leave it behind. For instance, check this passage from earlier this year:

During the first round of the Hope, I birdied two of the first four holes. The whole time I was laughing and joking with my amateur partners and having a great time. There was a backup on the 5th tee, and as we waited, my mind began to wander. One overpowering feeling hit me: I don't like this. I want to go home.

I can't imagine that anyone would feel sorry for Frazar, and he's certainly not asking for that. But this is a fascinating essay, illuminating in how Frazar is trying to figure out which way to go at this pivotal moment in his career. Is he able to win a tournament? He thinks so, but he understands that it's a huge commitment of both time and mental energy, and he may not be willing to make that commitment at this point. Good reading.

It may be time for Harrison Frazar to call it a career [SI Golf]

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