5 Golfers Who Could Have Succeeded in Other Sports

We've seen golfers on the PGA Tour enjoying their hobbies and pastimes—whether it's Tiger Woods spearfishing, Phil Mickelson playing ping-pong, Billy Horschel snowboarding or seemingly everyone on the PGA Tour fishing.

There are a few golfers on tour, however, who have displayed a degree of aptitude in a particular sport to suggest that maybe, perhaps, if the stars aligned, they could have pursued a professional career in that sport, rather than inside the ropes on the PGA Tour. 

Improbable, certainly. But fun to consider, nevertheless. 

Here are five tour pros who "could" have succeeded in other sports. 

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Hale Irwin: Football

Harry How/Getty Images

Champions Tour golfer extraordinaire, Hale Irwin played Division I college football at the University of Colorado. 

Irwin, who originally played quarterback before converting to cornerback, was a two-time first-team all-Big Eight selection. 

Irwin explained to Golf.com why he played college football: “My mom and dad didn't have money, and no one came knocking on the door with a golf scholarship, so I played football."

Rickie Fowler: Motocross

Rickie Fowler rode motocross pretty seriously until he was a freshman in high school, when he broke his foot. 

Fowler shifted his focus to fairways and greens at that point, but it seems he still enjoys riding.

As Jon Ackerman of Back 9 Network indicated, Fowler may have more racing in his future.  

"

Down the road I definitely see myself being a little more involved in spending some time in the seat and driving and seeing where that takes me. Whether that’s down here [in Australia] racing V8s, or back in the U.S. racing at Le Mans. Who knows, it could be fun.

"

Sergio Garcia: Soccer

Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who enjoys a kickabout in his spare time, has played soccer professionally...sort of. 

Garcia played for CF Borriol in La Liga's third division for a grand total of eight minutes. Of course, Garcia was Borriol's club president at the time, so that might have had something to do with his inclusion among the 11 on the pitch (via ESPN). 

And apparently, he's made it on the pitch more than just the one time ESPN decided to write about it. 

"It's good fun and whenever I'm around I get to practice with them a little bit and play a little bit here and there. This season, I've played probably five games, so not a lot, but I enjoy it," Garcia told Matthew Knight of CNN's Living Golf in 2013.

Dustin Johnson: Basketball

Dustin Johnson may be the only golfer on the PGA Tour who can dunk a basketball.  

The 6'4" bomber also took down Shane Battier in the three-point shootout element of the Adidas Boost Challenge.

And from the video above, it's clear DJ isn't lacking in athleticism. 

Further evidence from Alan Shipnuck's 2011 Golf.com piece on the Carolinian:

"

"I think he is the best athlete ever to play professional golf," says Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade's vice president of PGA Tour operations. "He has almost freakish natural talent. He's the kind of guy who can do anything. Give him a basketball, he can dunk it in bare feet. Give him a baseball, he can throw it 90 miles per hour...." Johnson's father, Scott, picks up the thread. "He can bowl 200 games all night long," he says. "Don't shoot pool for money around him, either."  

"

Phil Mickelson: Baseball

Phil Mickelson tossed batting practice for the Toledo Mud Hens in 2003 with hopes of getting an opportunity to throw in a real game.

He didn't make the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, but the lifelong baseball fan apparently wasn't that far off. 

A disappointed Mickelson said, per ESPN:

"

If I can get my velocity up, we may revisit this. Golf is my No. 1 priority and always will be. Throwing a baseball is an important part of my workout program, so if I can get my speed to 85 mph or above consistently, I wouldn't rule out trying this again.

 

"

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