In sports, it’s tough to compare difficulty.
Whether it’s hitting a baseball or throwing a touchdown, it’s common to debate the hardest thing to do in sports.
For World Series Champion Chase Utley, the answer is hitting a golf ball.
Utley, a Philadelphia sports legend, made an appearance at the 2026 PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pa., to watch his new favorite sport, golf.
He has a unique perspective on professional sports. He played 16 seasons in the MLB, and has since found himself playing in celebrity golf tournaments such as the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.
And when I sat down with him at the PGA Championship he told me that he feels more pressure on a tee-shot at the American Century than he did in any World Series game he ever played.
This is a guy who won a World Series, was a six-time All-Star and likely future Hall-of-Famer, and he experiences the difficulties of golf just like the rest of us.
He admits that golf may seem easier than baseball to the naked eye. One game has a stationary ball that you hit at your own pace, and one has a ball coming at you at 100 miles per hour.
But Utley says that nothing can compare to the pressure he feels on the tee box at a tournament.
He talked about the hundreds of fans that line the tee box, and the fear he has of hitting a fan, as things that people take for granted when discussing the mental game of golf.
To hear more about Chase Utley’s budding golf obsession and comparisons to his legendary stint in the MLB, watch this week’s episode of the Dan Evans Show.
More Golf from Sports Illustrated
- PGA Championship Final Round Live Updates, Scores: Jon Rahm Making a Move After Alex Smalley Loses Lead
- Why Free Food and Drinks at the PGA Championship Make So Much Sense
- How a Playoff Would Work at the 2026 PGA Championship
- 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson Full Field: Scottie Scheffler Returns to Defend Title
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why a World Series Champion Thinks Golf Is Harder Than Baseball.
