Survival Function Estimates for Champions Tour Golfers

In this article, the authors present survival function estimates for elite professional golfers who have participated on the Champions professional golf tour. Kaplan–Meier survivor function estimates for these golfers show median survival of 89 years and mean life expectancy of 85 years. The authors find comparable results for winners of the U. S. Professional Golf Association (PGA) Senior Open championship, which is also restricted to players 50 years of age and over. Champions tour golfer life expectancies are high in comparison to the general male population of the United States and at the high end of the life expectancy advantages estimated for other elite athletes.