ESPN Golf

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.

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