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    21 Reasons Golfers Are Actually The Most Likable Professional Athletes

    That is, if you give them a chance.

    Golf has always been considered a sport for rich kids, which gives professional golfers an unfair reputation for being humorless, straight-laced, privileged snobs. However most of the guys you see on TV are nothing like the wasp-y county club jerks you think of — in fact they're pretty darn likable. Here's why:

    1. Some of the game's most famous faces literally came from nothing.

    Lee Trevino, one of the most gregarious players in PGA Tour history, picked cotton in Texas fields at 5 years old and grew up in a house with no electricity or running water. He joined the Marines at 17 years old and made a living as a hustler on golf courses before qualifying for the U.S. Open at the age of 27. Vijay Singh grew up a poor kid in the tropical paradise of Fiji. His father was a refueler at the airport and Singh grew up hitting golf balls at the course adjacent to the airport. Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez grew up in Puerto Rico and learned the game by hitting tin cans with a guava tree stick. All three are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

    2. Even Rory McIlroy, one of today's most popular players, came from humble beginnings.

    3. They're goofy...

    4. They're weird...

    Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, and Hunter Mahan are all really close friends. They also enjoy making viral videos that support good causes like Charity: Water.

    5. They're dog lovers.

    6. They like to have fun...

    7. Sometimes too much fun...

    8. They love Happy Gilmore just as much as you do.

    Seriously, everyone who has ever picked up a golf club has tried to hit a golf ball like Happy.

    Just ask golf legend Lee Trevino.

    9. They know how to please the ladies.

    Adam Scott ass jiggle dot gif.

    10. And they're quietly kinda badass.

    2013 PGA Champion Jason Dufner is known for his laid-back demeanor, his lip full of Copenhagen Long Cut Wintergreen tobacco, and slapping his wife's ass on national television. He's awesome.

    11. They understand the importance of Throwback Thursday.

    Happy Father's Day to all dads out there! And to my Dad that inspired me to pick up a golf club! My first idol!

    And they respect the tradition.

    Found this gem today, was stone cold at the age of 2.

    12. Golf legend Arnold Palmer gave the world the most delicious beverage in human history.

    13. And the funniest poop story in sports history.

    View this video on YouTube

    youtube.com

    14. They're never above laughing at farts.

    View this video on YouTube

    youtube.com

    At the 2009 Buick Invitational, someone ripped a fart into a microphone boom while following Tiger Woods, causing Eldrick and his caddy Steve Williams to burst out laughing. Fartgate set the internet aflame, but most believe the culprit was golf announcer and noted crazy person David Feherty.

    15. They don't know how to dress.

    16. OK, some of them know how to dress.

    17. They're incredibly charitable.

    Bubba Watson teamed up with his sponsor PING to donate $250,000 to the Phoenix Children's Hospital, as well as establishing a scholarship fund in his wife's name at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, and raised money to establish the Bubba & Angie Watson Medical Clinic in Kenya. Ernie Els established Els For Autism in 2009 after his son was affected by the disorder. The non-profit has a goal of building a $30 million facility learning facility for children with autism.

    18. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find a golfer who isn't involved in a charitable foundation.

    From Ben Crane helping New Orleans families rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, Tiger's tremendous scholarship program helping students become first-generation college graduates, to Rory McIlroy's donations and visits to Northern Ireland Cancer, and many, many more.

    19. They're family men.

    20. And have their priorities in order.

    21. So maybe it's time to be a little more open-minded.