A ripped Rory McIlroy and Lexi Thompson pose shirtless
Rory McIlroy and Lexi Thompson prove (some) golfers are fit.
Rory McIlroy and Lexi Thompson did the impossible on Thursday -- the top-ranked golfer in the men’s game and the defending champion of this week’s first major of the season distracted golf observers from their 24x7 Tiger Woods Masters watch by flashing some firm flesh. Our position is that this trend can continue, but with something more relatable, like this topless John Daly cover.
McIlroy, who hopes to complete the career grand slam with a win next week in Augusta, became the first golfer to grace the cover of Men’s Health Magazine.
Delighted to be on the cover of @MensHealthMag! See more photos from my shoot here http://t.co/PxMH00Uje0 pic.twitter.com/8mlHr129IW
— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) April 2, 2015 Meanwhile, Thompson, who will play the first two rounds of the ANA Inspiration with her tour’s No. 1, 17-year-old Lydia Ko, sports a strategically wrapped towel for her Golf Digest closeup. The issue promises to celebrate the fitness and power of three other LPGA stars -- Michelle Wie, Cheyenne Woods and Stacy Lewis.
I landed on the May cover of @GolfDigest ! So pumped to represent fitness & power #GirlPower : http://t.co/ucXw4JTnSm pic.twitter.com/u4ys8WLLyv
— Lexi Thompson (@Lexi) April 2, 2015 Lexi has the dubious distinction of being the third consecutive woman to open Golf Digest’s May fitness issue. The only actual golfer among the trio, Thompson follows former Golf Channel/current Fox personality, Holly Sonders, and Dustin Johnson’s wife, Paulina Gretzky.
McIlroy’s rebuilt frame has gotten a lot of press of late. There was that Nike video in which Rory talked about how he revamped himself from a somewhat pudgy player to the jacked-up golfer he’s become. Swing coach Butch Harmon recently cautioned the four-time major champ from getting too ripped -- a warning that Paul Azinger echoed on Thursday.
Being as fit as McIlroy is “not a requirement to be great and I just hope that he’s not changing his body to his own detriment, because his body has changed since July of last year,” the ESPN analyst said during a pre-Masters teleconference. “They give out Player of the Year, not Fitness of the Year.”
Rory now works out in ads of 2 big #brands under "There's always better" & "Better never quits" Bring back fat Rory pic.twitter.com/RtjZF1YT5i
— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) April 1, 2015 Then there was last month’s Golf Digest, which, oddly, displayed Rory as Michelangelo’s David on the cover. For those who remember that photo of a shirtless Tiger, his cover picture appeared in a Men’s Fitness issue in 2007.
And now, back to all-Tiger, all-the-time, already in progress.
★★★
SB Nation presents: Nice try squirrel. Valiant effort.
