Is Golf a Sport? | Rockmonster Unplugged

John Daly’s girth notwithstanding, I had pretty much decided golfers were athletes after all, and then along came this year’s British Open and now I’m back to debating.

I liked their strength, their hand-eye coordination, their stamina. But when 59-year-old Tom Watson can finish second in the British Open, you have to wonder.

Name another true sport in which a guy six decades old can contend for a major championship. Not football. Not boxing. Not baseball, basketball, skiing, swimming, hockey, tennis, cycling, track, gymnastics or soccer, either.

Billiards, maybe.

But that’s not a sport.

Nor is poker.

I never did think NASCAR was a sport.

In fact, I’m going to need some help here. Give me just one true sport in which a 59-year-old has a real chance at winning a top prize.

There isn’t one.

So is golf really a sport or not?