My Five: Golf's Greatest Athletes

By Jaime Diaz

March 23, 2011

Gary Woodland's victory at the Transitions Championship brought attention to his background as a former Division II basketball player, leading to the presumption that more "athletes" are now turning to golf. But such a premise ignores the many past examples of pro golfers with athletic bona fides that far exceed those of Woodland, Dustin Johnson, or Tiger Woods -- to name three players often cited to support the supposed new trend. With apologies to Babe Didrikson Zaharias -- the undisputed greatest golfer/athlete ever -- here are my top five male golfer/athletes ever.

Play Slideshow

Pause

View All Thumbnails

1 of 5

1. Hale Irwin

Before winning 20 times on the PGA Tour -- with three U.S. Opens -- and 45 more times on the Champions Tour, Irwin was a defensive back at the University of Colorado who was twice named All-Big Eight. His teenage friend and rival was Dick Anderson, the former All-Pro defensive back for the Miami Dolphins. "I was generally the smallest guy on the field," Irwin said in 1991. "I couldn't outrun anybody, so I had to do a lot little things better, hit harder pound for pound. When I was playing football, I felt my life was on the line on every play. I think there is a probability that much of that is ingrained and still follows me."

Courtesy of University of Colorado