What is with Golfers and Beards?

A light hearted look at the golf world by Sports Writer Derek Clements

WHAT is with golfers and beards?It is not so very long ago that facial hair on a tournament golfer's face was about as rare as a United States victory in the Ryder Cup. Now, it seems, as our superstars earn even more money they become increasingly reluctant to spend any on of it on grooming products (what we used to call a razor).

So who have the best and worst?

BEST

Andrew Johnston. Looks like a lumberjack, and he doesn't care. After all his struggles to gain full playing rights, Johnston often has the look of a man who can't quite believe what's happening to him. His victory at the Spanish Open was probably as big a surprise to him as it was to the rest of us. One of the nicest men on the European Tour and, as a result, perfectly entitled to look however he wants to. Beard rating 9/10

WORST

Joost Luiten. Some guys suit beards, others don't. And no matter how hard he tries, Luiten just doesn't look the part with facial hair. He has tried the full beard, he has tried the trimmed look and he has even attempted designer stubble. Shave it off Joost. You know it makes sense. Beard rating 2/10

BEST

Shane Lowry. Oh Shane, what have you done? Maybe it is just me, but I really cannot take the Irishman seriously these days. He is a terrific golfer, and I admire the fact that he studiously refuses to get involved with anything that resembles a fitness regime. You have to take your hat off to anybody who does things their own way. But I'm sorry, with that beard, Lowry just doesn't look like one of the world's best golfers. He does, however, look like somebody who is down on his luck. Beard rating 8/10

WORST

Lee Westwood. Has the appearance of a man who has had a few too many sherbets, has slept in and rather than risk missing his tee time has decided not to have a shave. He tried the full beard thing, but it came through grey and made him look even older than he is (well, 43 is ancient by today's standards), so it briefly disappeared. Now he just looks plain scruffy. Beard rating 1/10

BEST

Graeme De Laet. He is a Canadian, so we make some allowances. But what started out as a bit of designer stubble has now turned into a rug attached to his chin. The story goes that when he wins his first PGA Tour title, the facial hair will go. That could be really bad news for much of the local wildlife where he lives because most of it must surely be living in his beard. Describing it as a beard seems seriously inadequate. It is magnificent. Think lumberjack. Beard rating 11/10

WORST

Tiger Woods. Who told Tiger that a goatee beard was a good look? Come on, step forward and show yourself. Woods is one of the most image-conscious golfers on the planet, and there is no way under the sun that he would be seen in public if he knew just how ridiculous that look is. There is no way you can take a bearded Woods seriously. No way. Beard rating 1/10

BEST

Raphael Jacquelin. He's French. Enough said. Well, no Frenchman is ever going to sport a beard that is anything other than stylish, are they? And they don't come more stylish than Jacquelin, who possesses one of the most languid golf swings on the European Tour - and a beard to match. Beard rating 7/10

WORST

Johnson Wagner. The American became almost as famous for his moustache as for the quality of the golf he played in winning the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii. “I probably got ‘Magnum P.I.’ in Maui 100 times,” Wagner said. It was hardly surprising, since his 'tache was identical to that sported by Tom Selleck in the TV show of the same name, which was set in Hawaii. Problem was that Wagner was not Tom Selleck! He also briefly sported some designer stubble but is one of the few to have seen the light and shaved the whole lot off. Beard rating 4/10

BEST

Boo Weekley. Do remember the film Deliverance? It starred Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Roony Cox as four city slickers who decide to spend a few days in canoes in Georgia. Soon, they were being stalked by some rather unpleasant natives. Now I know that Boo is one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet, but he does like hunting and he does look like almost every single one of the bad guys in Deliverance. Beard rating 9/10

WORST

Darren Clarke. I don't know what it is with the Ryder Cup captain and his facial fuzz, but I find him super-scary now. Certainly not somebody you would want to bump into on an unlit street in the dead of night, that's for sure. He probably grew it to add some gravitas to his persona. But it cannot have escaped your notice that almost every bad guy in just about every gangster movie ever made has a moustache. And if they want to portray him as super-bad, they add a beard - and make him look like Darren Clarke. Beard rating 4/10