first time we met John was at a (TGI) Fridays
restaurant in Florida. The first time we saw him
hit a shot was his drive at the 16th hole at The
Players Championship, a reachable par 5. After
he hit the ball off the tee, I said to Bud, ‘This
is like nothing we have ever seen before.’ I
told him I thought this will probably be the
biggest draw we’ll ever represent.
VG: What was he like back in those days?
JM: He had a difficult exterior to penetrate.
But he proved to be very smart and had a
good idea of what he wanted. Bud and I
knew this level of length off the tee was going
to be very different. We found some early
exhibitions for him. I think the first deal we
did for him was for $2,000 in upstate New
York. He was as excited about that as any of
the deals we’ve done since.
VG: Do you still represent him?
JM: John is definitely still on our list. Bud
Martin is his manager, and it’s now more of:
‘Can you help him with specific projects?’
He’s still a very popular player, and he’s
playing international golf. When John is
healthy, he can still play at the highest level.
But he’s had a lot of injuries and he doesn’t
have any status in this country. It’s hard to
make a set schedule for him, and that makes
it hard for him to prepare.
VG: He’s been a very colorful and
controversial player. How has that affected
your relationship with him?
JM: One of the real signatures of our
company has always been that we simply
care more than anyone else. You can give
guidance and counsel, but he also has to be
willing to do the things you need him to
do. Most things in his life, he was hurting
himself, not anyone else. He’s done so many
good things over the years that people don’t
even know about, including the millions
he’s given to charity, and he’s touched a
number of lives. That’s something people
should also remember about John. And no
one could have been a better friend to him
than our team.
VG: Regarding the business of representation, with so many good young players
out there, and lots of competition to sign
them, how tough is it to get new clients?
JM: The management of young players is
increasingly competitive. When you see the
success of a Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, and
when you see a Jordan Spieth come out of
school and do what he did last year, all of
the young touring pros are being seen in a
different light. The world starts to assume
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that if a player can do it in college, then he or
she can do it as a pro.
We’re one of the market leaders in the
game, and we’ll have an opportunity to sign
anyone. We have the combination of business
and personal service. We are big enough to
touch any base around the world, but we still
have that boutique flavor. And clients have
24/7 access to all of us.
VG: How about the actual recruitment
process?
JM: We have people in place in Europe,
Asia, Australia and elsewhere to identify at
an early age the top young candidates. As we
build relationships with players, we’ll have an
appointed personal manager to build out a
business plan for a potential recruit. My role
is to oversee that program and find the right
mix of player and manager.
VG: Are endorsements still a big part of
your business?
JM: They’re still there for the stars and the
future stars of the game. Companies want
to invest in players who can be the next big
star. Part of what has made us so successful
is that we can be successful at all levels—
the young guys, the established guys and
the top-of-the-world-rankings guys. With
Golf Channel, a 24/7 news cycle and every
tournament on television, professional golf
is still the most effective way for companies
to reach a specific targeted audience. And we
think golf in the Olympics should open up
new opportunities.
With the breadth of Wasserman’s reach, Mascatello
stays plugged in with its clients and constituents
near and far.
VG: What about your own golf—how
much do you play?
JM: I joined Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
in 1991, the sec