Steve Azar

steve azar celebrity golfer

Number 5
Steve Azar
Handicap: 0.9
Last September, the country music singer got the chance to satisfy his passion for the sport by taking part in the Pro-Am Viking Classic, the largest professional sporting event in Steve Azar’s home state of Mississippi. The event, held at the Annandale Golf Club in Madison, benefits a number of charity groups, churches and schools across the state.

Lots of Nashville musicians play golf. But Steve Azar is good enough to rank No. 4 on Golf Digest‘s list of the “Top 100 Musicians Who Golf.” Azar plays in numerous charity tournaments and performed after the second round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am last month in Greer, S.C. He also hits the links as often as possible — which is not often enough these days.

“I used to be close to a scratch golfer, but I’m a two-handicap right now,” says Azar, who had a big country hit with “I Don’t Have to Be Me (’Til Monday)” in 2002. “When I first came to town I was pretty good. I don’t play as much now. I had a car wreck at Christmas and I’ve had to re-think my swing and change how I do it — it’s a whole new swing. I’m scoring pretty good here and there, I just don’t get to play like I’d like to play.

“Golf has a lot to do with integrity and honesty,” he continues. “After a round of golf, you basically know a person. There are a couple of record execs I’ve played with who cheat their butts off, so what does that tell you? Maybe I don’t want to do business with them. If you do it [in golf] you’re going to do it in your work and your family life. It’s funny how golf pretty much tells the story of who the person is.”