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VIDEOUnderpaid Athletes: Alistair Presnell
By
Scott Reeves Dec 01, 2009 8:30 am
This golfer is waiting for his blast out of financial limbo.
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conditioning business -- for good.
At 20, he completed an apprenticeship as an air conditioning technician in his native Melbourne, Australia, and quickly decided he wanted to do something else. Now 30, he spends about eight months of the year on the road, including many weeks in the US.
He’s ranked 22nd on the nationwide PGA tour and has won about $165,000, but isn’t rich yet.
"About everything I make goes to expenses,” says Presnell. “It’s
expensive to play in the US -- $2,000 to $3,000 a week. This means I take a lot of cheap flights and ride in the back of the plane, share a taxi when I can and stay with families willing to host an Aussie golfer.”
So far, professional golf has been about a break-even proposition, but Presnell isn’t complaining because he loves the game and plays in perfect settings while traveling to new places.
At home in Australia, he played as an amateur for two years while working part-time as an air conditioning mechanic, earning some $40,000 to $50,000 per year. He turned pro in 2004. As a rookie, he finished fifth in the Australian Open, securing a slot on the Australasia Tour. But he hit a bump in 2006, and lost his spot. He later regained it through qualifying school.
His persistence paid off. This year, Presnell, who stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall, won his first professional title in the Moonah Classic in Australia by birdying the 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over Australian veteran Peter O’Malley, 44, and pocketing $113,700. The
event is co-sponsored by the US-based PGA Nationwide Tour.
The victory makes him eligible for tours in the US, Australia, and Asia through 2010 and gives him a shot at qualifying for the main PGA tour and big bucks. He played in the US for the first time this year and so far has won about $39,000 in several tournaments.
Presnell’s accent sounds intriguing to an American ear and sparks a lot of interest in his travels.
“Australians grow up with a lot of American TV and movies, so the US seems familiar,” he says. “But some Americans don’t know much about Australia beyond Crocodile Dundee and a few asked me if I drove to America. One seemed to think that Australians rode kangaroos to school. I tell people that I grew up in Melbourne, and I’m not a native of England.”
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