Interview By Craig Bestrom
Photo By J.D. Cuban November 2008
The dark mahogany door swings open, and into the virtually empty locker room at Sherwood Country Club strides singer-songwriter-golfer Justin Timberlake. He’s here for a casual, early-morning round at his home course, but his attire (perfectly pressed gray slacks, white polo and stylish black sweater vest) conveys something a little more formal. At 27 and admittedly a workaholic, Timberlake has spent much of the past few weeks writing and producing music. In between, he took a few days to write, rehearse and host ESPN’s annual awards show, The ESPYs. A few weeks before that, he was promoting “The Love Guru,” a film in which he co-starred with Mike Myers and Jessica Alba.
“I’m so ready for this,” he says, conceding that today’s round would be played on only four hours of sleep. “I’m definitely not getting to play as much golf these days as I’d like. Too much on my plate.”
Timberlake’s passion for golf took hold about six years ago, heightened by his first exposure to the game’s highest level as a celebrity player in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Now as a 6-handicapper (T-15 on Golf Digest’s Music Ranking), he has a PGA Tour event: the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, debuting in October in Las Vegas.
There’s no questioning Timberlake’s love and respect for the game. Most of all, he’s a smart guy and a kind-hearted perso
n, a credit to his mom (Lynn Harless) and dad (stepfather Paul Harless). Timberlake says golf for him is mostly about playing with his dad, who introduced him to the game at Big Creek near Memphis. When the course was in danger of being turned into a housing development a year ago, Timberlake and his parents stepped in and bought it (Read, “Giving Back In Memphis”).
The Golf Digest Interview: Justin Timberlake: Golf Digest Magazine
August 1st 