Golf Digest's Ranking of Athlete-Golfers

Compiled By Craig Bestrom, Lisa Furlong, and Caroline Stetler

After Golf Digest's rankings of the top-100 golfers in music (December 2006) and the top 100 in Hollywood (December 2005), we present the best and--in some cases--most notable golfers from the world of sports. Handicaps were determined in a number of ways, but our first reference was the U.S. Golf Association's Golf Handicap and Information Network. Additionally, we relied upon information from state associations, the athletes, pros at their clubs and friends who have played with them. Handicaps without decimal points are unofficial estimates.

RANK	NAME	HANDICAP	COMMENTS
1	Rhoden, Rick	plus-2.5	Won 151 games as a major-league pitcher; has won 43 golf tournaments on the celebrity tour. Some athletes might occasionally have the same—or better—handicaps, but we're confident Rhoden is the best of this bunch right now.
2	Sheppard, Ray	plus-2.5	Prolific goal scorer with Red Wings in 1990s.
3	Sharpe, Sterling	plus-2.4	Ex-Packers receiver now analyst for NFL Network.
4	Quinn, Dan	plus-2.1	Ex-NHLer is four-time champ in Tahoe event.
5	Hentrich, Craig	plus-2.0	Tennessee Titans punter for past eight seasons.
T-6	Longwell, Ryan	plus-1.8	Vikings kicker spent his first nine NFL seasons with Packers.
T-6	Van Slyke, Andy	plus-1.8	Gold Glove outfielder now coaching with Tigers.
T-8	Chandler, Chris	plus-1.5	Falcons QB in '99 Super Bowl loss to Denver.
T-8	Dilfer, Trent	plus-1.5	Ravens QB in '01 Super Bowl win over N.Y. Giants.
T-8	Tolliver, Billy Joe	plus-1.5	QB played 12 NFL seasons; two wins in Tahoe.
11	Jarrett, Dale	plus-1.4	NASCAR driver improved his game in '06.
12	Del Greco, Al	plus-1.3	NFL kicker for 17 seasons; celebrity-tour winner.
13	Sabo, Chris	plus-1.2	All-Star 3B won '90 World Series with Reds.
14	McGwire, Mark	plus-0.7	Ex-Cardinals slugger played high school golf
15	Favre, Brett	plus-0.8	Packers QB can play to scratch during NFL's off-season.
16	Smoltz, John	plus-0.2	'96 Cy Young winner is in 19th season with the Braves.
17	Candiotti, Tom	plus-0.1	Knuckleballer won 151 games in 16 seasons.
T-18	Cammalleri, Michael	0	Led L.A. Kings in points through early April.
T-18	Fuhr, Grant	0	Goaltender won five Stanley Cups with Oilers.
20	Hull, Brett	0.1	Third behind Gretzky, Howe in NHL career goals.
T-21	Bartkowski, Steve	0.2	Ex-QB's “Ultimate Game” began as “Big Stakes.”
T-21	Elway, John	0.2	Broncos QB has played Tahoe celeb event 17 times.
T-21	Sampras, Pete	0.2	Won 14 Grand Slam tennis titles; plays golf at Bel-Air.
24	Gillies, Clark	0.3	Hall of Famer part of Stanley Cup run by Islanders.
T-25	Roenick, Jeremy	0.7	Coyotes center, in 18th year, nearing 500 goals.
T-25	Savard, Marc	0.7	Boston Bruins star tried Canadian Tour Q school.
27	Theismann, Joe	0.9	Ex-Redskins QB is TV commentator.
28	Anderson, Dick	1	Defensive player of year in '73 with Dolphins.
29	Rice, Jerry	1.1	NFL great had 7-handicap in '02 (see Final Exam).
T-30	Allen, Ray	1.2	Top scorer for Sonics is best golfer in NBA today.
T-30	Jordan, Michael	1.2	Charlotte Bobcats parowner still avid golfer.
32	Schmidt, Mike	1.3	Hit 548 HRs in 18 seasons for Phillies.
T-33	Del Negro, Vinny	1.4	Ex-NBA guard plays at Scottsdale's Whisper Rock.
T-33	Feely, Jay	1.4	Kicker left N.Y. Giants for Dolphins in off-season.
35	Roberts, Nate	1.5	Mogul skiing world champion in '05.
T-36	Fernandez, Gigi	1.6	Top woman won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles.
T-36	Rypien, Mark	1.8	Super Bowl MVP in '92 when Redskins beat Bills.
38	Chang, Michael	1.9	'89 French Open tennis champ has taken to golf.
39	Sakic, Joe	2	Avalanche center was also '06 Olympian.
T-40	Langenbrunner, Jamie	2	Devils right wing is among team's top scorers.
T-40	Martin, Todd	2	Davis Cupper and twice Grand Slam runner-up.
42	Slater, Kelly	2.1	Surfing great played in his first AT&T this year.
T-43	Marino, Dan	2.2	Dolphins Hall of Famer works with Jim McLean.
T-43	Romo, Tony	2.2	Cowboys QB attempted to qualify for U.S. Open.
T-43	Stenerud, Jan	2.2	Retired Chiefs kicker is still team's best golfer.
46	Lemieux, Mario	2.3	Penguins co-owner is a member at Oakmont.
T-47	Eldredge, Todd	2.4	Six-time U.S. national figure-skating champion.
T-47	Larouche, Pierre	2.4	Won two Stanley Cups with Canadiens.
T-47	Modano, Mike	2.4	All-time goals co-leader among U.S.-born NHLers.
T-50	Morgan, Joe	2.6	Baseball Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst.
T-50	Smith, Stan	2.6	Former tennis No. 1 lives in Hilton Head.
52	Glavine, Tom	2.7	Mets pitcher nine wins shy of 300 in early April.
53	Brett, George	2.8	Won '87 AT&T pro-am with Fred Couples.
54	Bradshaw, Terry	2.9	Won four Super Bowl rings with Steelers.
T-55	Alredsson, Daniel	3	Swede is one of Ottawa's top scorers.
T-55	Bouchard, Pierre-Marc	3	One of the top scorers for the Minnesota Wild.
T-55	Nakatani, Corey	3	Jockey has more than 3,000 wins.
T-55	O'Neill, Jeff	3	One of top scorers for Toronto Maple Leafs.
T-55	West, Jerry	3	Scored 63 vs. Knicks in 1962; shot 62 at Bel-Air.
60	Bird, Larry	3.1	Co-founder of the Hideout Club in Naples, Fla.
T-61	Aikman, Troy	3.2	Improving rapidly thanks to work at Cowboys G.C.
T-61	Maddux, Greg	3.2	Baseball's winningest pitcher in the '90s.
T-63	Manning, Peyton	3.4	Played at Pine Valley, San Francisco G.C. in '06.
T-63	Rashad, Ahmad	3.4	Before TV career he was a Pro Bowl receiver.
T-65	Wakefield, Tim	3.5	Red Sox fan favorite downplays his golf ability.
T-65	Jansen, Dan	3.5	Won Jordan's event in January with Stone Phillips.
67	Boller, Kyle	3.6	Ravens backup QB is a Caves Valley member.
68	Bourque, Ray	3.7	Now a spokesman for a bank; still a Bruins icon.
T-69	Courier, Jim	3.8	French Open winner plays at Lake Nona (Orlando).
T-69	Feagles, Jeff	3.8	Giants punter has consecutive-games record.
T-71	Bench, Johnny	3.9	Reds Hall of Fame catcher was '68 Rookie of the Year.
T-71	Drexler, Clyde	3.9	Rockets broadcaster also “Dancing with the Stars.”
T-73	Bulger, Marc	4	Rams QB was third in NFL passing yards in '06.
T-73	Iginla, Jarome	4	Leading scorer for Calgary Flames this season.
T-73	LaRoche, Adam	4	Pirates first baseman has played with Tiger.
T-73	Lowe, Derek	4	Ex-Red Sox starter is new Dodgers ace.
T-73	Palmer, Carson	4	Bengals QB has hosted a charity tourney.
T-73	Williams, Walter Ray Jr.	4	Bowling great is tied with Earl Anthony for most career wins (41).
79	Lomax, Neil	4.2	Ex-NFL QB runs an evenmanagement firm.
80	Beuerlein, Steve	4.3	Got a Super Bowl ring as Cowboys backup QB.
T-81	Lendl, Ivan	4.5	Tennis champ, four oldest daughters focused on golf.
T-81	Neely, Cam	4.5	Bruins winger joined Hockey Hall of Fame in '05.
T-81	Peavy, Jake	4.5	Beat S.F. as Padres Opening Day starter in April.
T-84	Brown, Kris	4.6	Texans K plays at Houston Open's Redstone G.C.
T-84	Clemens, Roger	4.6	When not pitching, he's often on the course.
T-84	Spurrier, Steve	4.6	'66 Heisman Trophy winner is coach at South Carolina.
T-84	Weber, Pete	4.6	Second on all-time PBA money list with $2.95M.
T-88	Brees, Drew	4.7	Led resurgent Saints to NFC title game in '07.
T-88	Mulder, Mark	4.7	Cardinals LH played with Yogi Berra at Hope.
90	Upshaw, Gene	4.9	Raiders Hall of Famer plays at RTJ in Virginia.
T-91	Carr, David	5	In Carolina after five seasons as Texans QB.
T-91	Fingers, Rollie	5	One of four relievers in baseball's Hall of Fame.
T-91	Francoeur, Jeff	5	Braves RF had 29 HRs in '06; has played with Tiger.
T-91	Sanderson, Geoff	5	Flyers All-Star has played 15 seasons.
T-91	Taylor, Lawrence	5	Former N.Y. Giants LB can hit golf balls a long way.
T-91	Wainwright, Adam	5	World Series hero now a Cardinals starting pitcher.
T-97	Barber, Ronde	5.1	Tampa Bay Bucs defensive back is Tiki's twin.
T-97	Pack, Joe	5.1	Freestyle skier won silver at '02 Winter Olympics.
99	Joyner, Seth	5.3	Pro Bowl LB won '99 Super Bowl with Denver.
T-100	Esiason, Boomer	5.4	Ex-Bengals QB runs golf events for cystic fibrosis.
T-100	Millwood, Kevin	5.4	Rangers pitcher plays at Dallas National.
102	Testaverde, Vinny	5.5	Long Island native plays at Friar's Head.
103	Ainge, Danny	5.6	Celtics exec won two NBA titles as a Boston guard.
T-104	Harrington, Joey	5.7	QB signed with Falcons after release by Dolphins.
T-104	Inge, Brandon	5.7	Tigers 3B made last out in '06 World Series.
T-104	Smith, Ozzie	5.7	Hall of Fame SS played in '06 AT&T as a 14.
T-107	Blue, Vida	6	A's pitcher was 24-8 as '71 Cy Young MVP.
T-107	Eruzione, Mike	6	Captained “Miracle on Ice” team in '80 Olympics.
T-107	Gardocki, Chris	6	Steelers punter lives in Hilton Head.
T-107	Linden, Trevor	6	Vancouver Canuks all-time points leader.
T-107	Morrow, Brenden	6	Stars captain severed wrist tendons in December.
T-107	Starks, John	6	Ex-Knicks guard works in team's front office.
T-107	Tanguay, Alex	6	Calgary forward's wish: a dinner with Tiger.
T-107	Wagner, Billy	6	Mets closer likes to play golf during road trips.
117	Orr, Bobby	6.1	Hockey legend voted Boston's greatest athlete.
118	Alworth, Lance	6.2	First AFL player in Pro Football Hall of Fame.
T-119	Kidd, Jason	6.6	Nets star has played in Lake Tahoe tournament.
T-119	Marinaro, Ed	6.6	Actor was Heisman Trophy runner-up in '71.
T-121	Aguirre, Mark	7	Knicks assistant averaged 20 ppg as player.
T-121	Becker, Boris	7	Tennis great plays most of his golf at outings.
T-121	Dempster, Ryan	7	Former starter is now closer for the Cubs.
T-121	Fernandez, Lisa	7	Softball pitcher won Olympic gold in '96, '00, '04.
T-121	Hoffman, Trevor	7	Baseball's all-time leader with 482 saves.
T-121	Matsuzaka, Daisuke	7	Red Sox rookie learning English from Golf Channel.
T-121	McCardell, Keenan	7	Ninth all-time in NFL receptions with 861.
T-121	Rivers, Doc	7	Played 13 NBA seasons; Celtics coach since '04.
T-121	Roethlisberger, Ben	7	Steelers QB briefly dated LPGA's Natalie Gulbis.
T-121	Smith, Emmitt	7	NFL's all-time leading rusher plays AT&T and Hope.
T-121	Turco, Marty	7	Stars goalie has played at Winged Foot.
132	Cousy, Bob	7.3	Celtics legend, now 78, won five straight NBA titles.
T-133	Houtson, Allan	7.4	Bad knee forced Knicks guard into retirement.
T-133	Rodgers, Aaron	7.4	Packers backup QB was first-round pick in '05.
135	Mikita, Stan	7.5	David Toms' caddie married Mikita's daughter.
T-136	Ditka, Mike	7.6	Plays at Olde Florida and Golf Club of the Everglades.
T-136	Erstad, Darin	7.6	White Sox CF in 12th season.
138	McCarron, Chris	7.8	Hall of Fame jockey retired in 2002.
T-139	Coles, Bimbo	7.9	Ex-Heat guard belongs to La Gorce in Miami Beach.
T-139	Pettitte, Andy	7.9	Back with Yankees after stint with Houston Astros.
141	Brady, Tom	8	Patriots QB plays AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
T-141	Faulk, Marshall	8	Rams running back retired from NFL in March.
T-141	Griese, Bob	8	Dolphins Hall of Famer is an ABC broadcaster.
T-141	Kovalev, Alexei	8	One of Montreal's top scorers in 14th NHL season.
T-141	Wright, David	8	Mets third baseman hit .311 with 26 HRs in '06.
T-141	Schilling, Curt	8	Red Sox pitcher hosts ALS tourney in Arizona.
T-147	Banks, Ernie	8.1	Mr. Cub played with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett.
T-147	Brown, Tim	8.1	Had golf rivalry with Jerry Rice while with the Raiders.
149	Yount, Robin	8.5	Brewers Hall of Famer was A.L. MVP in'82, '89.
150	Tkachuk, Keith	8.7	Atlanta Thrashers LW is playing 15th NHL season.
151	McGriff, Fred	8.8	Baseball's “Crime Dog” hit 493 career HRs.
152	Clark, Dwight	8.9	No. 87 made The Catch for 49ers 25 years ago.
153	Barry, Rick	9	Hall of Famer named among NBA's 50 Greatest.
154	Bennett, Cornelius	9.2	Former Bill was AFC Defensive Player of Year.
155	Niekro, Phil	9.5	Baseball's winningest knuckleballer (318 wins).
156	Bailey, Jerry	9.7	Hall of Fame jockey won Kentucky Derby in '93, '96.
156	Bledsoe, Drew	9.7	Former Pats, Cowboys QB has time to golf after being released in March.
T-158	De La Hoya, Oscar	10	Boxing's golden boy has been a champion in six weight divisions.
T-158	Dickerson, Eric	10	Hall of Fame running back with Rams, Colts plays occasionally in Celebrity Tour events.
T-158	Jones, Chipper	10	Braves third baseman and '99 N.L. MVP counts PGA Tour's Chris DiMarco as a buddy.
T-158	Miller, Bode	10	Skiing's bad boy takes casual approach to game.
T-158	Navratilova, Martina	10	Tennis star won't discuss golf, but she likes the game.
T-158	Pujols, Albert	10	Cardinals first baseman hosts benefit tournament in June.
T-158	Williams, Jason	10	Guard won NBA title with Heat in '06.
166	Vrabel, Mike	10.3	Pats LB has hole-in-one, dreams of senior tour.
167	Johnson, Davey	10.5	Gold Glove Oriole; managed Mets to World Series.
T-168	Cauthen, Steve	10.7	Jockey was last to win Triple Crown (Affirmed, '78)
T-168	Killebrew, Harmon	10.7	Twins Hall of Famer is eight on all-time HR list.
T-168	Namath, Joe	10.7	Broadway Joe posted 20 scores in five weeks in '07.
171	Hamilton, Scott	10.9	Figure skater took up golf after his 1984 Olympic gold.
T-172	Bonds, Barry	11	Has home-run length but hits lots of foul balls.
T-172	Doleac, Michael	11	Heat center says medicine will be next career.
T-172	Lidge, Brad	11	Astros closer got win in a six-pitcher no-hitter.
T-172	Robert, Brian	11	Orioles 2B says golf has helped his baseball.
177	Havlicek, John	11.2	Celtics legend plays in Massachusetts.
T-178	Gretzky, Wayne	11.3	Despite coaching in Phoenix, The Great One plays in Southern California.
T-178	Butkus, Dick	11.3	Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears plays lots of golf in Southern California.
180	Dawson, Toby	11.8	Mogul bronze-medalist in '06 Winter Olympics.
T-181	Federer, Roger	12	Tennis' No. 1 has hand-eye to be a scratch golfer.
T-181	Frye, Charlie	12	Started 13 games at QB for Cleveland Browns in '06.
T-181	Rice, Jim	12	One MVP in his 16 seasons for the Red Sox.
T-181	Russell, Bill	12	Celtics great made 54-hole cut at '01 AT&T.
T-181	Williams, Herb	12	Knicks assistant played 18 NBA seasons.
T-181	Williams, Woody	12	Back home in Houston as Astros starting pitcher.
187	McMahon, Jim	12.1	Bears '86 Super Bowl QB likes to play barefoot.
188	Johnson, Randy	12.4	Back with D'Backs after two seasons with Yankees.
189	Cunningham, Billy	12.5	76ers player and coach tees it up at Jupiter Hills in Florida.
T-190	Kelly, Jim	13	Four-time Super Bowl QB prefers hunting, fishing.
T-190	Ripken Jr., Cal	13	Plays at Caves Valley near Baltimore.
190	Robinson, Brooks	13	Orioles Hall of Famer turns 70 in May.
193	Coleman, Vince	13.8	Former Cardinal stole 752 bases.
T-194	Allen, Marcus	14	Hall of Fame running back works hard on game.
T-194	Heap, Todd	14	Ravens TE plays in Arizona during off-season.
194	Tomlinson, LaDainian	14	NFL's MVP practices and plays often at Maderas G.C. in San Diego.
T-194	Whalen, Lindsay	14	WNBA point guard for the Connecticut Sun.
T-194	Hudson, Tim	14	Braves pitcher has tourney with Smoltz, Francoeur.
T-194	Moreno, Jaime	14	D.C. United star is second all-time scorer in MLS.
200	Bonilla, Bobby	14.3	Ex-Pirate plays at Manhattan Woods near NYC.
201	Esposito, Phil	14.4	Hockey Hall of Famer plays celebrity golf events.
202	Taylor, Jason	14.6	Dolphins DE and Defensive Player of the Year.
203	Leonard, Sugar Ray	14.8	Plays at Riviera, home of the Nissan Open.
204	Nash, Steve	15	Suns guard was NBA's MVP the last two seasons.
T-205	Bruschi, Tedy	15.2	Patriots LB likes to play golf and the saxophone.
T-205	Harris, Al	15.2	Packers CB enjoys wearing knickers when playing.
207	Olsen, Merlin	16.9	Part of Rams Fearsome Foursome.
208	Walker, Antoine	17	See the Heat forward swing on youtube.com.
T-209	Aaron, Hank	18	Expects to be playing golf when Bonds hits No. 756.
T-209	Blanton, Dain	18	Olympic gold-medalist in beach volleyball in '00.
T-209	Chastain, Brandi	18	Bra-baring soccer star plays golf in San Jose area.
T-209	Donovan, Landon	18	L.A. Galaxy, U.S. national team's scoring threat.
T-209	Lee, Derek	18	Cubs first baseman won N.L. batting title in '05.
214	Blair Cruikshank, Bonnie	18.6	Former speed skater plays at home in Wisconsin.
215	Waltrip, Michael	19.3	Daytona 500 win marred by Dale Earnhardt's death.
216	Montana, Joe	22.1	Bad knees limit his time on the golf course.
217	Berra, Yogi	25	Quotable Yankee plays Bob Hope Classic every year.
217	Lewis, Lennox	25	Former heavyweight champ is new to the game.
219	Lobo, Rebecca	26	Ex-WNBA star was '95 college player of the year.
220	Jeter, Derek	30	Friends tell us the Yankee shortstop is capable of breaking 100, but he probably won't get serious about golf until his baseball career ends. He does host a celebrity golf event for his Turn 2 Foundation.