1 Angel Cabrera

“Some players have psychologists, some players have sportologists. I smoke.” So declared the Argentine Angel Cabrera after he had puffed his way through the best part of a pack of 20 on his way to winning this year’s US Open. America looked on aghast and a few million wannabe golfers learnt a valuable, new and unexpected lesson: smoking can be good for your game.

2 Paul Gascoigne

In 1998, just before the World Cup, the England manager Glenn Hoddle was understanding of Gazza’s latest obsession: tabs. “Paul’s been smoking since he was with Lazio,” he nodded, understandingly.“If I tried to stop him for three weeks, it might have an adverse effect.” So Hoddle dropped him instead.

3 Shane Warne

Even to Shane Warne, £77,000 is a handsome sum, and in 1999 he was the antismoking poster boy for a nicotine chewing gum. Then a teenager snapped him lighting a Benson & Hedges, perhaps in homage to their cricket sponsorship. “I was very disappointed at having it,” he spluttered, although only after having failed to get the boy to cough up his film.

4 Darren Clarke

Seeing as he won’t be winning a major in the near future and he’s apparently given up on his beloved Marlboros, Clarke likes nothing more than a very public cigar as he marches across the world’s fairways. In fact, it’s claimed he spends £25,000 a year on importing the finest Cubans. About 75% of his income, then.

5 Teddy Sheringham

The model footballer played until he was 80, even after being caught smoking in a Marbella nightclub at 6.30am, just before the 1998 World Cup. He claimed the cigarette had been planted, but he did admit to “a lack of professionalism in not realising how my actions were likely to be interpreted”. Too right, Edward.

6 Anna Kournikova

Invariably leaving tennis competitions so early meant she had a lot of time on her hands. Nothing like a Marlboro Light to while away the hours, then. “I live for the moment,” she wheezed. “If I want to eat this kind of thing, I do. If I want a cigarette, I’ll have one. Life is for living; you only get it once.” Albeit, perhaps, in truncated form.

7 Sir Ian Botham

Always an enthusiastic partaker and ever the maverick, moments before stepping out at Headingley in 1981, Ian Botham warmed up by smoking a quick cigar. Suitably becalmed, he smashed the Australians for a legendary, series-turning 149 not out. Five years later he was suspended for smoking cannabis. At least he’ll have something to talk about when he meets the Queen.

8 James Hunt

With all the drinking, womanising and Marlboros, it’s a surprise Hunt found the time to race at all. And when he retired, he’d annoy Murray Walker by sneaking off from the commentary box for a quick roll-up. Walker even coined his own euphemism: “James has just nipped out to have a look at the far side of the circuit.”

9 Socrates

The languid Brazil captain, an alumnus of Dublin’s College of Surgeons, routinely wheezed through 20 a day. “Did smoking affect my playing ability? I don’t think so,” he noted. “Perhaps conceding silly goals to Italy in 1982 and losing a penalty shootout to France in 1986 had more to do with us not winning the World Cup.”

10 John Daly

He chain-smokes. He doesn’t want to. “I have to cut back,” he croaked. “But if I do, my weight will balloon to 400 lb. I’ll look like Babe Ruth.” Swings and roundabouts, big man, swings and roundabouts. Still, talk of his addiction is exaggerated: “There’s no way I smoke four packs a day. It’s more like three.”

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