There are a number of celebrities who could have been professional golfers in another life.
Tiger Woods named Tony Romo and John Smoltz as the best celebrity golfers he’s ever played with, and both have played in various professional golf events after their respective sports’ careers ended.
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Meanwhile, NBA superstar Stephen Curry has played in Korn Ferry Tour events and is widely regarded as an excellent golfer who could have made it on the PGA Tour if he chose to.
But Jack Nicklaus, who won a record 18 major championships during his esteemed golfing career, named a tennis player as the best non-professional that he has ever seen play golf.
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Who Jack Nicklaus once named as the best non-professional golfer
In 2018, Nicklaus named American tennis player Mardy Fish as the best non-professional golfer that he has ever seen.
The “Golden Bear” said to Tennis.com, “I have never seen anybody with as nice a golf swing and as good a golf game that doesn’t play it professionally, or as a top amateur. I was flabbergasted how good Mardy was.”
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Fish was a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games and a long-time member of the American Davis Cup team. He hung up his racquet at the 2015 US Open, and has played a tonne of competitive golf since.
He’s a two-time champion of the American Century Championship, winning in 2020 and 2024, and shot a 63 in 2020 to break the course record at Lake Tahoe, previously held by Lee Trevino.
In 2022, he made his PGA Tour debut, becoming the first person to play on both the ATP Tour and the PGA Tour by teeing off at the 3M Open. He shot 81-74 and missed the cut, but did outscore three full-time PGA Tour pros in the field.
It seems that in another life, Fish could have swapped the court for the course and played on the PGA Tour full-time.
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Mardy Fish’s golf handicap
According to multiple sources, Fish’s golf handicap is an incredible +3.1. The average PGA Tour player has a handicap ranging from +5 to +8, so Fish really isn’t far off the elite level!
To put Fish’s handicap into perspective, Curry, largely regarded as the NBA’s best golfer, has a handicap of +2, Romo’s is +3, and Smoltz is +1.1. These are the best of the best when it comes to celebrity golfers, and none of them eclipse Fish.
He’s proven himself to be the very best celebrity golfer over the years, dominating the circuit. He has won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions multiple times and consistently finishes in the top five of any celebrity event he enters.
According to his handicap and the performances against fellow celebs and on the PGA Tour, it seems Nicklaus is exactly right about Fish!