Meet the MLB All-Star who competed against Jordan Spieth at the U.S. Junior Amateur

There are only a few acceptable reasons for taking a phone call on a golf course, but Jeff McNeil had one that most golfers have probably never considered. On the morning of December 22 last year, the two-time MLB All-Star was on the 14th hole at TPC Monterey at Pasadera when his phone started going off with missed calls and texts. While walking to the green, McNeil called New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns back and received some seismic personal news.

“ I didn’t really know my playing partners well, but they knew I played baseball, and I was like, ‘Hey, guys, I just got traded,’ ” says McNeil, who had been dealt by the New York Mets, the only MLB team he’d ever played for during his career, to the Oakland Athletics. “It was a crazy 15 minutes.”

Amid the chaos, McNeil—who’ll begin his ninth season in the big leagues this week—made double bogey on what was the second hole of a shotgun event, and who could blame him? But while the PGA Tour tracks bounce-back birdies, McNeil showed some impressive resilience. “I finished the round somewhat strong,” says McNeil, who still managed to shoot 73, “so it was a good day.”

RELATED: The 7 best baseball cities for golf

Most celebrity golfers follow a natural progression. A person more talented in another area first becomes famous and then picks up the game, either as a hobby or, in the case of a professional athlete, as a competitive outlet. The latter happens often as an athlete’s playing career winds down. McNeil’s path, however, has taken him back to his first love.

McNeil, 34, grew up thinking that golf was going to be the sport where he’d make a name for himself. Since both golf and baseball were played in the spring at Nipomo (Calif.) High School, McNeil chose to play golf for his first three years. In 2009, McNeil competed against a handful of future PGA Tour pros at the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. Entering that week, he shared their lofty golf dreams—although he didn’t feel as confident after a range session next to Jordan Spieth, the eventual winner of the championship.

“I knew Jordan Spieth was the No. 1 junior amateur in the world, and I vividly remember him hitting balls next to me,” McNeil recalls. “I just stopped and watched him for a couple minutes. I go, ‘Wow, that’s better than mine. That’s different.’ ”

McNeil had a solid first round and was in position to advance to the match-play portion, but a disastrous second day in adverse conditions shifted his future. After failing to gain attention from college golf coaches at the event, McNeil, who had been playing summer-league baseball, wound up being offered a baseball scholarship before playing a single high school game. He switched from varsity golf to varsity baseball in the spring of his senior season and never looked back. Well, at least, from a career standpoint.

Golf has remained an important part of McNeil’s life as he holds a plus-1.8 Handicap Index—it’s been as low as plus-2.8—at his home course of Monarch Dunes Golf Club in California, making him one of the best celebrity golfers on the planet. He enjoys playing tournament golf a lot more these days, even competing in the 2023 New York State Open when it happened to perfectly coincide with the MLB All-Star break.

“ I was always trying to play well as a kid, and if I had a bad round, it felt like my life was over because I can’t go play college. It was tough,” says McNeil, whose golf highlights include a career-low 63 at Spyglass Hill. “Playing golf now is just more fun. There’s not a whole lot of expectations. I want to win; I want to compete. I work hard on the game, but in the end, it’s kind of a hobby.”

Those competitive reps kept him sharp enough to win his celebrity golf debut at the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, which doubles as the LPGA Tour season opener. He recalls feeling nerves like he’d never experienced on a baseball diamond.

“I think my ball fell off the tee a few times,” McNeil says of his opening tee shot of the final round at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club. “I ended up hitting a good drive, and Charley Hull goes, ‘You a little nervous?’ I go, ‘That’s probably the most nervous I’ve ever been.’ ”

2258914101

While Jeff McNeil chose to pursue baseball rather than golf as a career, he holds a plus-1.8 Handicap Index—and it’s been as low as plus-2.8.

Julio Aguilar

McNeil got an inside look at TGL in 2025, meeting Tiger Woods ahead of a match.

Mike Ehrmann/TGL

McNeil, shown playing alongside Jin Young Ko at he 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations, says he’s felt nerves while playing in that event the past few years that he hasn’t felt on the baseball diamond.

Julio Aguilar

Yet McNeil has had success, winning the celebrity division in 2024 and holding the trophy with LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko.

Julio Aguilar

Interestingly, the lefthander is a long hitter on the course though he is not known for his power at the plate. McNeil is a throwback player, rarely striking out, and he put the ball in play well enough to win the 2022 National League batting title. A career .284 hitter, McNeil claims his average jumps to “well over .300” the day after playing golf, not that he’ll ever have to ask permission to play during the season. The first time he really talked to his new manager, Mark Kotsay, was when the A’s skipper FaceTimed McNeil from the golf course after making a hole-in-one this offseason. Plus, McNeil says golf has helped him bond quickly with his new teammates.

“ Brent Rooker reached out to me right when I got traded, and he’s a big-time golfer as well, so he goes, ‘Dude, we’ve got a good golf group,’ ” McNeil says. “That’s kind of how I connect with my teammates … I feel like you get to really know who somebody is out on the golf course.”

McNeil will miss the New York golf courses, but he’s excited to familiarize himself with the Sacramento golf scene, and he enjoyed spring training in Arizona for the first time with the A’s facilities being conveniently located about a mile from Mesa Country Club. Regardless of where his baseball career takes him, he will have plenty of golf in his future, including at his new house in Arroyo Grande, where he has a simulator and a 50-yard backyard golf hole. With enough practice, McNeil hasn’t ruled out eventually making a run at the PGA Tour Champions like his friend and fellow ballplayer John Smoltz.

“ We’ll see how the body feels when that time comes around,” McNeil says. “I would love to do it, but also at the same time, I don’t want to grind super hard. I’ve got kids at home. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, I love just hanging around my hometown and playing local games here.”

Preferably, with no execs trying to get a hold of him.