10 Unbelievable Sports Stories Hollywood Should Turn Into Movies

4. John Montague, Championship-Level Golfer And Criminal Fugitive

Pitch: The Greatest Game Ever Played meets Catch Me If You Can Golfer John Montague appeared on Hollywood golf courses in the early 1930s and wowed stars with his incredible skills and trick shots. Nobody knew where he came from, but he rubbed elbows with stars like Bing Crosby in the clubhouse and even lived with comedian Oliver Hardy (of Laurel and Hardy) for a time. Stories about him soon reached the ears of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice, who saw Montague play and proclaimed him the greatest golfer he had ever seen. Despite his growing legend, Montague refused to play professionally. American Golfer magazine even wrote an article begging him to play in a tournament to prove his skills. Soon a New York police inspector heard about this golfing powerhouse and realised that Montague was really LaVerne Moore, a former baseball pitcher who had been accused of robbing a restaurant. While Montague admitted he was Moore, he denied robbing the restaurant. After a chaotic public trial, he was acquitted of all charges. Despite being a free man, Montague's skills quickly deteriorated and he died in poverty in 1972. Considering how much Hollywood loves making movies about Hollywood, it€™s perplexing why a movie hasn€™t been made about Montague yet.