Johnny Manziel Pursuing Professional Golf Career
Johnny Manziel is currently playing quarterback for the Zappers of the Fan Controlled Football [...]
Johnny Manziel is currently playing quarterback for the Zappers of the Fan Controlled Football league and will soon reunite with Josh Gordon on the field. However, he is not using this league as a way to get back in the NFL. Manziel is actually striving to become a professional golfer.
Manziel dropped the news during an appearance on Chris Long's Green Light podcast. He explained that he would be dedicating the next 12 years of his life to the sport of golf. He will try to go pro and earn a spot on the PGA Tour. The former first-round pick acknowledged that this would not be a simple task, but he is ready for the challenge.
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"I'm gonna grind this out and see how good I can get and see if I can't enter in some tournaments, and see if I can't try and go play professional golf eventually," Manziel explained. "I think it is a very uphill battle, but that's what I'm setting for my goals. I have 12 years to try and make a PGA Tour event."
The former Cleveland Browns quarterback has posted videos of himself on the golf course and showed off his swing in slow motion. The "social media coaches" that generally criticize golfers saw this swing and said it was solid. Though a few said that they would "tweak a few things" to add more power.
Manziel did explain that he is a "work in progress" and that he still has improvements to make. He claimed that he has a handicap of zero or one. If accurate, this handicap would make Manziel a "scratch" golfer, meaning he can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level.
Manziel would not be the first football player to showcase his skills on the golf course. Several have also done so over the years. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played in multiple celebrity tournaments. Similarly, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald recently partnered with Bill Murray for a charity tournament.
Of course, Tony Romo is possibly the most famous golf-playing football player. He has attempted to qualify for PGA Tour events since retiring from the Dallas Cowboys. He has also received roster exemptions to play in certain events. He has also been playing around Dallas since the early 2000s and has attempted to qualify for the 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, the 2005 US Open, and the 2008 Byron Nelson.