My Favorite Cigar
Jim Thorpe • Professional Golfer • Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Diamante No. 2
Jim Thorpe steps up to the tee box, a bright smile on his face. He’s wearing his trademark straw hat, and even at his age (he turns 75 in February) he’s still built like a bull, and looks like he can run through a wall. “Here we go baby,” he says. “Watch this.”
People have been watching Thorpe smack golf balls since he turned pro in 1972. His first win on the PGA Tour was in 1985 when he beat Jack Nicklaus. He won three times on the PGA Tour and 13 times on the Champions Tour (including one Champions major), where he plays today. Spend a few minutes with the man (friends affectionately call him “Thorpie”) and it’s impossible not to love him. He’s quick with a joke and adept at giving a gentle and encouraging tip when a golfer is struggling. “You would actually be hard-pressed to find a better-liked person in professional golf,” wrote Michael Bamberger in Golf Magazine in 2020.
When did he start smoking cigars? “Oh, I started so long ago,” he says with that smile. Along with Montecristos, he also lists Don Pepin Invictos as a favorite.
