Best Celebrity Golfers, Ranked by Handicap
On this page14
- 01The best celebrity golfers at a glance
- 02Tony Romo
- 03Steph Curry
- 04Kenny G
- 05Michael Jordan
- 06Alice Cooper
- 07Justin Timberlake
- 08Mark Wahlberg
- 09Bill Murray
- 10How we ranked this list
- 11Why most celebrity handicaps can’t be verified
- 12The American Century Championship: celebrity golf’s proving ground
- 13At a glance: reported number vs how verifiable
- 14What a low handicap actually means
We rank on what can be verified, not what gets quoted in interviews: competitive results against a real field first, a posted handicap index second, and self-reported numbers last, with volume and consistency breaking ties.
The best celebrity golfers at a glance
| Rank | Celebrity | Strongest case |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Romo | PGA and Korn Ferry starts |
| 2 | Steph Curry | Competition-tested scratch golfer |
| 3 | Kenny G | Lowest documented index |
| 4 | Michael Jordan | Long-term near-scratch play |
| 5 | Alice Cooper | Consistent everyday golfer |
| 6 | Justin Timberlake | Low-handicap tournament regular |
| 7 | Mark Wahlberg | Credible mid-handicap record |
| 8 | Bill Murray | Pro-am longevity |
- Competition-proven
Tony Romo
Romo is the only name here with both a posted number and the results to back it: a +2.6 Handicap Index out of Dallas National. Since retiring from the NFL he has teed it up in PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events on sponsor exemptions and shows up for U.S. Open local qualifying most years, an access level no other celebrity on this list has earned.
He also owns the celebrity circuit, winning the American Century Championship three times (2018, 2019 and a 2022 playoff). He ranks above Curry because a plus index plus repeated pro-event starts are documented, not estimated.
Best number: +2.6 index (Dallas National) · Résumé: PGA Tour & Korn Ferry starts, U.S. Open local qualifying · ACC titles: 3
- Tested against a field
Steph Curry
Curry took a roughly scratch game to where it counts: two Korn Ferry Tour starts at the Ellie Mae Classic (2017 and 2018) and a walk-off eagle to win the 2023 American Century Championship, the first active pro athlete to take that title since 2000. That week he also aced the par-3 seventh.
He ranks above every entertainer below because his level was measured against a developmental-tour field, not quoted in an interview. He sits behind Romo only because Romo's plus index and volume of pro-event starts run deeper.
Level: ~scratch · Proof: 2 Korn Ferry Tour starts; 2023 ACC champion · Signature: hole-in-one and closing eagle in Tahoe
- Lowest documented index
Kenny G
The saxophonist carries a +0.6 Handicap Index that topped Golf Digest's Top 100 in Music, nominally a lower number than Curry's scratch game.
He sits at No. 3, not higher, for one reason: that index is built from posted home rounds, not a tournament field. Beating par at your own club is genuinely rare, but it hasn't been stress-tested the way Romo's and Curry's games have under competition pressure. Among people famous for something other than sports, no one plays to a lower verifiable figure.
Best number: +0.6 index · Recognition: Golf Digest's No. 1 musician golfer · Caveat: posted index only, no pro-event record
- Near-scratch, daily
Michael Jordan
Jordan's game is reported around a 1.3 to 1.9 handicap, near-scratch, and he plays close to daily, often 36 holes at a stretch.
The figure isn't posted in a public system you can pull up, so he lands below Kenny G's documented index and Curry's tested game. Still, near-scratch from a player in his sixties who bets on every round is a real skill level, not a vanity claim. Our roundup of the greatest golfers marks the ceiling he'll never touch, yet few amateurs get anywhere near his.
Level: ~1.3-1.9 (reported) · Volume: near-daily, often 36 holes · Verification: consistent reports, not officially posted
- The everyday grinder
Alice Cooper
Cooper plays about six times a week and has held a single-digit handicap for decades. He has said golf became the addiction that replaced drinking after his 1982 rehab, and he has kept the daily habit on tour ever since.
Volume is his edge: few entertainers log more rounds, which is why his low-single-digit number holds up even without a posted card. He ranks below Jordan on raw skill but above the lighter enthusiasts because the reps never stop.
Level: low single digits · Habit: ~6 rounds/week since the 1980s · Backstory: swapped one addiction for golf
- Skin in the game
Justin Timberlake
Timberlake reports a low-single-digit handicap and has put real money behind the game. He bought and lavishly renovated Memphis's Mirimichi course before selling it at a steep loss, and he lent his name to a PGA Tour event, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
His reported figure floats between roughly 3 and 6 across interviews, so treat it as a range rather than a fixed number. Either way it's genuine mid-to-low amateur territory, good enough to hang in a pro-am but short of the pro-event access Romo and Curry earned.
Level: reported ~3-6 · Investment: former Mirimichi GC owner · Namesake: ex-title sponsor of a PGA Tour event
- Honest mid-handicapper
Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg is the rare celebrity with a publicly posted GHIN index, reported in the low double digits, around 11, and he is candid about not being a scratch player. He is also known for speed-golfing 18 holes in barely over an hour.
He makes the list not because his number is low but because it is honest and checkable, which is more than most self-reported single-digit claims can offer. A verifiable 11 beats an unverifiable 6.
Level: ~11 GHIN (posted) · Quirk: 18 holes in about an hour · Edge: transparent, checkable number
- Spirit of the pro-am
Bill Murray
Murray isn't here for a number; his own game is mid-handicap at best. He earns the spot as the defining face of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where his gallery-working showmanship, not his scoring, is the whole point.
Ranking him last on skill is fair. Leaving him off entirely would miss why celebrity golf is watchable at all. Everyone above him plays better golf; no one draws a crowd like Murray.
Level: mid-handicap (recreational) · Fame: AT&T Pebble Beach fixture · Role: entertainer-in-chief, not contender
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- Tony Romo
- Steph Curry
- Kenny G
- Michael Jordan
- Alice Cooper
- Justin Timberlake
- Mark Wahlberg
- Bill Murray
Audience ranking
How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
The ranking above does the work; this section explains how we got there and gives the context that makes the numbers mean something.
How we ranked this list
Celebrity handicaps come in three flavors, and they are not equally trustworthy. We weighted them in this order:
- Results against a real field. Scores posted in sanctioned or developmental competition, where you cannot fake a card. Romo’s pro-event starts and Curry’s Korn Ferry appearances sit at the top for this reason.
- A posted handicap index. A GHIN or World Handicap System number that anyone could theoretically pull up, like Kenny G’s +0.6 or Mark Wahlberg’s reported 11. Not tournament-tested, but at least maintained from real rounds.
- Self-reported numbers. Figures quoted in interviews with nothing behind them. We still list these players when the number is believable, but they cannot outrank verified games.
Volume and consistency break ties. A player who logs hundreds of rounds a year, like Alice Cooper, gets more benefit of the doubt than one who mentions a number once on a podcast.
Why most celebrity handicaps can’t be verified
Here is the honest catch: almost every celebrity handicap you read is self-reported. Interview numbers drift, tend to round in the flattering direction, and are rarely tied to a posted record. Only two things are actually checkable, a maintained handicap index or a scorecard from real competition, and most famous golfers have neither on public display.
That is why our guide to what is a scratch golfer matters here: it notes only about 1.6% of handicapped golfers ever reach zero. When a celebrity casually claims a low single digit, they are claiming to be rarer than most fans realize, which is exactly why Romo’s and Curry’s proof stands out.
The American Century Championship: celebrity golf’s proving ground
Held every July at Edgewood Tahoe, the American Century Championship is the closest thing celebrity golf has to an honest test. Dozens of athletes, actors and musicians are scored over three days in a modified Stableford format that rewards birdies and punishes disasters less than stroke play would.
The recent winners’ list reads like a verification tool. Curry won in 2023; Mardy Fish claimed his third title in 2026, joining Romo and Mark Mulder in the three-win club; NHL veteran Joe Pavelski took 2025. Former athletes with competitive speed dominate, while entertainers fill the field behind them. It is the rare setting where a celebrity’s golf gets scored in public rather than described in an interview.
At a glance: reported number vs how verifiable
| Golfer | Best reported number | How it’s verified |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Romo | +2.6 index | Posted index plus pro-event and U.S. Open qualifying scorecards |
| Steph Curry | ~scratch | Korn Ferry Tour starts and an ACC title |
| Kenny G | +0.6 index | Maintained handicap index, no competition record |
| Michael Jordan | ~1.3-1.9 | Consistent reporting, not officially posted |
| Alice Cooper | Low single digits | Long-standing habit, self-reported |
| Justin Timberlake | ~3-6 | Self-reported, varies by interview |
| Mark Wahlberg | ~11 GHIN | Publicly posted GHIN index |
| Bill Murray | Mid-handicap | Recreational, no posted figure |
What a low handicap actually means
Scale matters. A scratch golfer shoots around par; a tour professional plays to roughly +6, meaning they average six shots better than par across a full handicap sample. Romo’s +2.6, the best number on this list, still leaves a several-stroke-per-round gap to that level, which is why his tour starts end near the bottom of the field rather than on the leaderboard.
If you want to place these figures against ordinary players, what is a good golf score sets the everyday benchmarks, and for the professionals these amateurs admire, our list of the greatest golfers of all time covers the true ceiling of the sport. The takeaway is simple: trust the handicaps earned in front of a scorer, and enjoy the rest as good stories.
Frequently asked questions
Who has won the American Century Championship the most times?+
Three names share the record with three titles each: Tony Romo (2018, 2019, 2022), former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder (2015-2017) and former tennis pro Mardy Fish (2020, 2024, 2026). Fish is the most recent, edging 2025 champion Joe Pavelski. The event's modified Stableford format rewards aggressive play, which is why athletes with real competitive instincts keep rising to the top over three days in Tahoe.
Is Kenny G actually a better golfer than Steph Curry?+
On paper, slightly: Kenny G's posted +0.6 index is a hair lower than Curry's roughly scratch game. But we rank Curry higher because he proved his level in real competition, playing two Korn Ferry Tour events and winning the American Century Championship against a live field. A posted home index and a tournament scorecard are not the same test, and the scorecard carries more weight here.
How good do you have to be to qualify for the U.S. Open?+
Extremely good. Open qualifying runs through local and final stages open to anyone with a Handicap Index of about 0.4 or better, but surviving requires plus-handicap scoring under pressure. Tony Romo's +2.6 index gets him into local qualifying, yet he has repeatedly missed the cut line by several shots. That gap shows how far even an elite amateur sits below the level needed to reach the championship proper.
Which musician is the best golfer?+
Kenny G, comfortably. His +0.6 Handicap Index topped Golf Digest's ranking of musician golfers, making him better than scratch on paper. Alice Cooper is the runner-up on sheer volume, playing roughly six rounds a week at a single-digit clip for decades. Both outrank the many entertainers who claim low numbers in interviews but keep no posted scores anyone can verify.
Does Michael Jordan have an official handicap?+
Not one posted in a public system you can look up. Jordan's game is consistently reported around 1.3 to 1.9, near-scratch, and he plays almost daily, often 36 holes. Because those figures come from interviews and playing partners rather than a maintained index, we rank his game below documented numbers like Kenny G's. The reporting is consistent enough to trust the near-scratch label, if not a precise decimal.
Can any celebrity golfer compete with PGA Tour pros?+
No. The best on this list, Tony Romo at +2.6, still sits several strokes per round behind tour level, where the field averages closer to +6. Romo has played PGA Tour and Korn Ferry events on exemptions and finished near the bottom. Celebrities can win pro-ams and celebrity events, but the gap between an elite amateur and a working tour professional is wider than most fans assume.
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