Is There Really Anything Wrong With Pro Golfers Not Celebrating Wins?

Something I've noticed that seems to really trigger golf fans is players not openly celebrating a victory.

And why shouldn't they, you might say? They may well have completed a childhood dream or joined the pantheon of great champions at a specific event all while earning a substantial amount of money in the process.

After all, don't the pros love to regularly tell us all how hard it is to "win out here"? So when that happens, why not let out a little fist pump or even show us all those pearly whites? This is a big moment, you should be going crazy.

Most people would say that. But I wouldn't.

I'd say it's up to the player how they react once the all-important putt drops. I believe that a lot of fans and pundits confuse the immediate reaction to winning with the level of emotion going on inside.

In all likelihood - and I'm certainly no psychologist - I'd suggest some people are just better at keeping their emotions in check than others. A lack of beaming smile does not mean a player doesn't care.

Look at Cameron Young recently after winning The Players. It's undoubtedly one of the biggest tournaments in the world and he reacted as if he'd won a casual game of cards or something.

People were confused. This is the guy's biggest career moment and we're not seeing anything in way of histrionics? Did he even care? Of course he did!

Speaking afterwards, Young said: "I think honestly, I think if you asked my wife, she would say he's a very, very happy person. And I am. I mean, I love my life, I love my family, I love my job. I couldn't ask for much more. I'm healthy. I have healthy little children.

"So I just think it's more for me about I think that's the best way for me to play the best. Now why am I not happy? I am (laughing). I don't know.

"I'm thinking to answer questions and my brain is very tired after playing that golf course for four days. So it takes a lot for me to come up with a reasonable answer.

"But yeah, I don't know. I think just generally you're not going to get a ton out of me, but it doesn't mean that I'm not, you know, very, very happy to be sitting here with this."

This is kind of my point. Young *was* delighted, as he would have been after winning the Cadillac Championship less than two months later.

So his delight wasn't visible, but why does he have to do laps of the course with his hands in the air if that's not who he is? And he's not the only character in the game like that, by the way, which is good because the sport would be extremely boring if everyone was the same.

I really don't think we should be asking anyone in any walk of life to be someone they're not. If a pro doesn't want to pour their emotions out on the 18th green, why should they have to?

Equally, a lot of people would say it's awesome when you see a Haotong Li or similar roaring with delight. I do wonder if it's because they feel a certain sense of relatability almost.

Maybe most fans want players to throw their arms around screaming "let's go!" after winning because that's what they would do in the situation? My feeling is that's at least partly the case.

I also wonder if there's a sense of jealousy, almost, from most of us? We can never even dream of being in such a position, so of course we'd go nuts.

But don't forget, for pro golfers, this isn't their first rodeo, so to speak. They've probably been winning all of their lives and they're living very comfortably because of it.

And, also, I can almost guarantee their first thought after winning any tournament is not something along the lines of "I can't believe I've just won X million dollars!" whereas that would overwhelmingly be true for the humble amateur.

On a related note, yes, I agree, the money in men's golf now is ludicrous and players should probably understand the gravity of their situations. But, again, how do we know that they don't?

Either way, it goes back to my first key point about 'just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it isn't true.' All humans are unique. People react to situations differently.

With that in mind, consider the next time you see what you'd perceive to be a tempered reaction to a victory from a pro golfer.

They are among the best in the world at what they do because of their elite mindset, an outward expression does not always translate to what's going on inside, and - crucially - a modest celebration does not tell us who someone is as a person.