The Resume

(June 3, 1945- )
Born in Joplin, Missouri
Won 20 PGA Tour events, including three US Opens (1974,1979,1990)
Won 45 Champions Tour events, including two US Senior Opens (1998,2000)
Played on five Ryder Cup teams (1975-81,1991)
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1992)

Why he might be annoying:

He was considered a colorless, nondemonstrative player.
He was not very fan-friendly.
In a poll of PGA golfers, he was named least favorite playing partner (1994).
His first name inspired pun-prone sports writers. (Usually some variant on 'Hail, Irwin' to announce a victory or 'Hale and Hearty' to discuss his durability on the Champions Tour.)

Why he might not be annoying:

He was a self-taught golfer, who never had a professional lesson.
He was one of the few pro golfers to earn a college degree.
While at the University of Colorado, he won the NCAA Championship in golf and was an All-Big Eight defensive back in football.
In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, he high-fived the gallery at the 1990 US Open after sinking a 45-foot putt to tie for the lead and force a playoff.
Caddy John Sullivan said, 'After caddying for Jack [Nicklaus], I thought I would never meet anyone who was more intense, but now I have. I'm not calling Hale a better player than Jack, but he is definitely more of a competitor.'
He raised a lot of money for the St. Louis Children's Hospital, which named a wing in his honor.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Bleacher Report's 50 Worst Screw-Ups in Sports History (Ranked: 43)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 47]
• Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
• ESPN-fan's Top 25 Biggest Sports Blunders [1979-2004] (Ranked: 18)
• ESPN's Top 25 Biggest Sports Blunders [1979-2004] (Ranked: 18)
• Golf Digest's 50 Greatest Golfers of All Time [2000] (Ranked: 19)
• Golfers
• Golf's U.S. Open Champs (Ranked: 1974)
• Golf's U.S. Open Champs (Ranked: 1979)
• Golf's U.S. Open Champs (Ranked: 1990)
• I Attended University of Colorado-Boulder
• Look at Me, I'm on the Cover of Sports Illustrated
• Look at My Magazine Cover
• Profiles 34251-34500 (Ranked: 34347)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying