Having once been a professional golfer should not come with a death sentence as it relates to one’s ability to compete at the highest level as an amateur. Professional status itself doesn’t create an enduring competitive advantage. There is no magical reservoir of talent that descends upon somebody just because they decide to turn professional, it’s just that most players that turn professional were amongst the best amateurs; why else would they think they could make a living playing the sport. Of course there should be some stipulation or formula for the amount of time/and or success one was or had followed by a reasonable period in purgatory—but purgatory, by definition shouldn’t last for ever.