What Would PGA Tour Players Do If They Weren’t Golfers? They Told Us

Sports Illustrated polled players on what they would be doing now if their current careers hadn’t worked out.

John Schwarb, Art Stricklin, Jeff Ritter | Oct 23, 2025

Rickie Fowler is a longtime dirt bike fan and said he’d been racing those for a living if he wasn’t on the PGA Tour. / Allison Lawhon-Imagn Images

Earlier this summer Sports Illustrated surveyed a number of PGA Tour players about a range of topics, from swings they envy to advice for college players to favorite tournament courses and much more. Look for answers to all of these subjects in the days ahead. We think you’ll enjoy the answers.

Previous topics: Favorite golf memorabilia | Most enviable swing

Today's question:

What Would You Be Doing If You Didn’t Play Golf for a Living?

“Probably action sports or racing dirt bikes.” — Rickie Fowler

“Probably a ministry, I have a real passion for that.” — Aaron Baddeley

“A ministry, maybe College Golf Fellowship.” — Webb Simpson

“College Golf Fellowship has a real place in my heart.” — Scottie Scheffler

Ryan Palmer plays his shot from the 12th tee during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge

Ryan Palmer would be happy to not work if he wasn't on Tour. / Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

“Living as a dentist’s husband having [wife] Jennifer make all the money.” — Ryan Palmer

“I’d be watching my kids play their sports more often.” — Charley Hoffman

“Being a golf commentator on TV.” — Matt Kuchar

“I love playing in the dirt and building [golf] courses, so that’s what I would do if I could do it all the time.” — Davis Love III

“Probably coaching [golf]. I have a real passion for the game.” — Davis Riley

“I’d love to play hockey.” — Taylor Pendrith

Taylor Pendrith plays his shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the 2025 3M Open

Canada’s Taylor Pendrith said he’d love to play hockey if he wasn’t a golfer—go figure. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

“Playing Pickleball for a living.” — Akshay Bhatia

“Using my finance degree, working in investments.” — Brice Garnett

“Without golf, I would really struggle. I’m very underqualified.” — Tommy Fleetwood

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Published Oct 23, 2025|Modified Oct 23, 2025

JOHN SCHWARB

John Schwarb is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated covering golf. Prior to joining SI in March 2022, he worked for ESPN.com, PGATour.com, Tampa Bay Times and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is the author of The Little 500: The Story of the World's Greatest College Weekend. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Schwarb has a bachelor's in journalism from Indiana University.

ART STRICKLIN

Art Stricklin is an award-winning golf writer based in Dallas and the president of the Texas Golf Writers Association. He spent more than a decade working for Texas newspapers. Stricklin is the author of 10 books, including, “Thanks for the Memories,” on the history of Northwood Club in Dallas, and “Links, Lore & Legends: The Story of Texas Golf.” He has become one of Texas’ foremost experts on golf history and travel, having witnessed a countless number of professional and amateur golf tournaments in the state. His work has been published in regional, national and international titles, including Sports Illustrated, Connoisseur Golf, Golf Magazine, Texas Monthly, Global Golf Post, D Magazine and Texas Golfer Magazine. Email: astrick@flash.net; Twitter: @artstricklin

JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.