Word on the Street...Who's Turning Pro?

I am a huge follower when it comes to collegiate golf (and it’s just not because I am a 20-year-old girl). One of the biggest amateur tournaments, the Porter Cup, is held at Niagara Falls Country Club every July. I really love to watch the way an amateur approaches the game. It’s a fun week for all. But I also follow them throughout the year at the collegiate level to see how they hold up in the rankings and how their teams do overall.

But I have recently come to find out or its rumored to be that senior Kevin Tway and junior Morgan Hoffmann of Oklahoma State University will turn pro after the NCAA Championships in June. Another big name collegiate golfer, Bud Cauley of the University of Alabama will also be turning pro.

2011 is a huge year in amateur golf. Most collegiate players, even if they are seniors, will stay amateur throughout the summer for a chance to play on the prestigious Walker Cup team, which is a team event that will take place over in Scotland at the beginning of September. Each one of these players has a legitimate chance to make the team, especially Hoffmann and Cauley who played on the team back in 2009. All three of these players are also on the Ben Hogan watch list for this year.

So I guess what I am wondering is if you were a senior and graduating, do you give up the chance to play for your country? And also, you’re a junior, but you believe you are ready for the pros; do you give up your last year of eligibility in college? And not only once, but get to play on the Walker Cup team twice? I don’t know the answer to these questions, but it will be interesting to find out which of these players will go to the pros and which ones will stay amateur in June.