Sportstars who took to golf after retiring from their respective sport

There have been a few players who took to golf after retiring from their respective sport. A number of them have also been quite successful in their new chosen sport. Here is a list of a few players who have made the successful transition.

Cricketers

Kapil Dev 

Kapil led India to a historic win in 1983 World Cup, where his men defeated West Indies in the final. His victory sparked cricketing dreams among Indians. Dev took a record 434 wickets in Tests, the most by an Indian pacer. Soon after his retirement from cricket in 1994, he took up golf. Just like how he excelled in cricket, the Haryana Hurricane did well on the golf course as well. He won in the 60-64 individual age category in Champions Golf in September 2019. 

Ajit Agarkar

Agarkar retired from cricket in 2013, the same year Sachin Tendulkar called time on his career. Agarkar became famous for taking 6/41 in the 2003 Adelaide Test against Australia and scoring a ton in the Lord’s Test against England in 2002. 

A few years later after his retirement, Agarkar made news again, but in a different sport. He represented India in the world finals of 22nd Annual World Corporate Golf Challenge in Cascais, Portugal in 2016. 

Agarkar said he was always interested in golf, but couldn’t take it up as he was playing cricket. He said he was introduced to golf by late cricketer and friend, Rajesh Sanghi, who was also an avid golfer.

Footballers

Although there are many current footballers who play golf when they are off football, some former footballers have taken to the golf course after hanging up their boots. 

Jamie Redknapp 

The former Liverpool midfielder had a successful football career before he was forced to retire prematurely at 32 due to injuries. He made 308 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 41 goals. Post his retirement, he became a pundit at Sky Sports, and a sports columnist. He also started playing golf post retirement. He plays off a handicap of four, and regularly plays in Pro-Am events. He took part in Alfred Dunhill Championship at St. Andrews in 2017. 

Jimmy Bullard

Other retired footballers who played golf post retirement include Jimmy Bullard who made his EuroPro debut in 2013. However, he made the cut just twice.

Photo courtesy: South China Morning Post