Best of celebrities playing golf in 2015

Golf appeals to the masses, and to the rich and famous. Here’s a look back at some of the celebrities who showed an interest in the game this year:

Miss Universe contestants go for a drive

Short skirts and high heels are not your typical golf attire — unless you’re competing in the Miss Universe beauty pageant, like these women at Trump Doral in January.

It’s doubtful any of those involved used their golf skills in the talent contest. But driving Titleists on the way to becoming a titleist? That’s pretty cool.

 

 

Bryce Harper goes “Happy Gilmore”

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper showed off a little bit on the course in February, hitting a running drive some 340 yards, ala “Happy Gilmore.”

He’d love to do that in his normal job, since that would clear the fences in any major league ballpark.

Crazy golf attire from Verlander, Price

During spring training, baseball players can get pretty tired of the monotony. So it’s no surprise Detroit Tigers pitchers Justin Verlander and David Price (now with the Boston Red Sox) played hooky one February afternoon.

Check out these golf threads, if you dare.

Out of Africa: Larry Fitzgerald and the world’s longest par-3

What do NFL wide receivers do during their offseason? Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals apparently loves golf and travel, and combined both of those in a day he'll not soon forget.

It requires an expensive helicopter ride to the summit — and a huge drive. But for Fitzgerald, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Jessica Korda, meet Taylor Swift 

In May, Jessica Korda tweeted that she was in Japan at the same time Taylor Swift was on tour. And Swift responded.

That led to an awesome meet-and-greet, followed by Korda posting a video of Swift swinging a golf club during her show.

 

Twilight’s Kristen Stewart shows off her driving skills

Bella Swan may be a vampire, but she swings a mean golf club.

Actress Kristen Stewart took a break from movie filming recently, and showed off her ability to drive a golf ball.

Danica Patrick sinks putt, takes victory lap

Well-known race car driver Danica Patrick admits she's not ready for the LPGA Tour, but after making a long putt in a recent charity event, she definitely knows how to take a victory lap.

Zac Efron channels his inner Tiger Woods

Everybody wants to emulate that famous Tiger Woods golf ball juggling Nike ad, and Zac Efron is no exception.

Watch as he pulls it off -- without the show-stopping drive down the fairway.

Miss America Kira Kazantsev loves golf

Reigning Miss America Kira Kazantsev is not only an avid golfer, she played in several charity events this year, including the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Web.com Tour. Paired with Kevin Tway, the 23-year-old from New York City who's a graduate of Hofstra University, teamed up for rounds of 68 and 69.

Cheyenne Woods meets Drake

As niece of Tiger Woods, Cheyenne has her own celebrity status to endure. But that's no reason to think she doesn't would like to meet one of her favorite performers.

It just so happened Drake was playing a concert in Toronto while she was there. A few phone calls later, she and Drake were face-to-face.

Rules? Justin Bieber doesn't need rules

The teen heart-throb was caught on video playing a round of golf this summer -- and taking multiple mulligans in the process.

Hey, if you're Justin Bieber, you might as well get your money's worth while you're out there.

 

 

Shaquille O'Neal takes a mulligan at Greenbrier Classic

Sometimes it takes a Diesel a little bit of time to get warmed up.

That was the case during the pro-am at the Greenbrier Classic, where Shaquille O'Neal needed a few warmup swings on the first tee to get his ball in play.

Golfers come in all sizes, even extra large

Former NBA player Yao Ming stands 7-6 -- a height that can be truly hard to appreciate. Thankfully, there are some golfers who are willing to give us perspective.

As part of a social-media campaign to help raise money for charity by posting photos with celebrities, Graeme McDowell tweeted out a photo that shows how tiny he looks next to the former Houston Rockets center. 

Justin Timberlake dances "The Carlton" on the teeing ground

Alfonso Riberio played Carlton Banks on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

So when he was paired with Justin Timberlake during the American Century Celebrity tournament out in Lake Tahoe, Nev., it was only fitting the two would break out Riberio's famous "Carlton" dance after hitting their tee shots.

Chauncey Billups finds camaraderie in golf

As part of his transition out of professional basketball, Chauncey Billups began playing golf about five years ago. Now that he's retired as a player and working as an analyst for ESPN, he's enjoying the game on a more regular basis.

He recently played a round with Vic Lombardi, the sports director at Denver's CBS affiliate, as part of Lombardi's "19th Hole" program, and shared some thoughts on the game as he and Lombardi made their way around Cherry Hills Country Club.

From Wimbledon to Ryder Cup? Novak Djokovic

It's no secret that world No. 1 men's tennis player Novak Djokovic loves golf. He's pulled a golf club out of his tennis bag at Wimbledon.

But when he announced his interest in making the 2016 European Ryder Cup sqaud, that raised more than a few eyebrows.

Supermodel Nina Agdal's golf game is getting better

One of Nina Agdal's 2015 resolutions was to improve her golf game. And based on her social posts this year, she's done just that.

"So happy I had some time to take a lesson this weekend," she wrote about her video. "Long way to go but working on it," she concluded, with a thumb's up emoji.

Duck Dynasty's Jase Robertson gets wet to hit a shot

Duck hunters are used to some pretty iffy weather conditions, but usually they have waders to wear.

In this case, Jase Robertson gets knee-deep in the water while trying to hit a golf shot. And the result is just what you'd expect.

Happy day at Home of Golf for Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan is best known as the star of "Fifty Shades of Grey," but there was nothing grey about the actor's final shot of the first round in the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The tournament, if you're not familiar, is a pro-celebrity event similar to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Dornan hit a booming drive down the 18th fairway on the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, and his ball wound up just short of the big green. Even though he was down in the swale in front of the green, he pulled out his putter and gave the ball a rap. It went in the hole for an eagle.

Shane Battier's favorite course is Oakland Hills

Asked to name his favorite golf course, Shane Battier reached back to his Michigan roots and chose Oakland Hills.

The Duke alumnus and native of Birmingham, Mich., was at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., recently to play a round with the winners of his Take Charge Foundation charity challenge. The money raised goes to fund college scholarships for at-risk students.

Niall Horan practices while on break

The superstar boy band One Direction is scheduled to take a year off after its current tour ends, and the group's resident golf fanatic is planning to use some of that downtime to recharge his game.

In fact, Niall Horan got a little jump on his vacation by hitting the driving range to whack a few golf balls. Horan – who famously served as Rory McIlroy's caddie during the Par 3 Contest at the Masters last spring – shared a moody shot of his session at a practice range on Instagram.

 

 

Tom Brady compares passing to golf swing

If there's a shortcoming in New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's repertoire, most observers agree, it's that he's a little weak throwing long balls. Brady, a master of the short passing game, acknowledged that fact, according to a story on WBZ-TV in Boston, and then compared throwing passes to hitting golf balls.

"Like hitting a wedge or a driver – it's the same swing," said Brady, an avid golfer in his spare time. "One is just there's a little nuance to it that's maybe a little different. I haven't hit the driver as well as I've probably hit the wedges, but if I can hit the driver a little better, it'll make things easier on our team."