Five athletes from other sports who are really good at golf
By Jay Wilhelm
The Match 2 showed us that Peyton and Brady have some game on the golf course. I look at five more athletes from other sports who can also swing it.
Now that we’ve seen the outcome of The Match 2, we saw some things we already knew and some new things to peak our sports interests. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are really good at golf and at times Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can be pretty good in their own rights.
As Brady looked like the rest of us to start and got better on the back nine and Manning stayed pretty consistent throughout I started wondering what other athletes from different sports can really play some golf. I came up with five I’d really love to see be apart of the next match with Tiger and Phil.
Let’s start with the obvious must see TV pairing and put Michael Jordan with Tiger Woods
What would be better than pairing GOAT with GOAT? Jordan’s obsession with golf is well known and he’s not that bad either. Putting those two together would be legendary.
The next athlete I had in mind is now since retired from his sport. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo might be one of, if not the best on this list. He has played in a few PGA Tour events using sponsor exemptions. According to some he plays to a +1.1 handicap and I think we would love to see his game along the likes of Tiger and Phil next time.
Stephen Curry is next on my list and the only active athlete on the list. The Golden State Warrior and NBA Champion has a huge passion for the game of golf. He has played in Web Tour events and has a handicap around +0.1 and all the way to +1.5 at times.
I turn to a Hall of Fame pitcher and the only baseball player on the list. Former Atlanta Brave right-hander John Smoltz is another athlete who has made noise on the golf course. Smoltz, now 52 has won celebrity tournaments against some good competition. He played in three Champions Tour events last year and qualified for the 2018 U.S Senior Open. Smoltz has been said to play at a +1.5 handicap.
Let’s go back to basketball for this next player. Retired NBA Champion and sweet shooting guard Ray Allen finishes up my list. Said to be a scratch golfer, he holds the Ray Allen Ray of Hope Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament.
I would love to see any one of these athletes join “The Match” next.