Michael Jordan has consistently demonstrated unmatched competitiveness in every aspect of his profession, whether it be basketball or golf. The amateur golfer did not let his supporters down. Tiger Woods, his former best buddy, experienced this firsthand and regretted undervaluing Jordan’s skill and competitive attitude. He ultimately had to pay a high price for misjudging the competitive spirit of the six-time NBA Champion.
When we go back to 2009, Jordan was among the best amateur golfers. But playing the Bethpage Black presented him with the greatest and hardest task of that year.
The legendary Chicago Bulls player, Justin Timberlake, Ben Roethlisberger, and Larry Giebelhausen competed in the 2009 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge at Bethpage Black. Located in Farmingdale, New York, Bethpage Black is renowned for providing players with a challenging yet rewarding game.
It contains five regulation 18-hole golf courses and has played host to major competitions such as the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and two Barclays PGA Tour events. That may be one of the explanations for why golf’s greatest player, Tiger Woods, jokingly hinted at and wagered that the 14-time NBA All-Star wouldn’t be able to break 92 at Black.
Surprisingly, though, he ended up with 86. His Airness even made fun of his pal in a humorous way during an interview after this. He taunted Woods, according to Golf Digest, by claiming to have won and wanting his winnings paid out in cash. “I don’t take checks,” he declared.
Despite his remarkable performance in taking second place behind Ben Roethlisberger, Jordan remembered that he was anxious at first.
In the same interview, he discussed his anxiety, stating that he was anxious since it wasn’t basketball and he was anxious because of the focus and pressure of the result. “You could turn the camera guys on all day if we were playing basketball, but it’s a very different vibe when you move beyond your area. You grow human, and I felt uneasy.
After that, he carried out his specialty. He began to enjoy his time at the course instead of becoming anxious about the game. But eventually, I said, ‘I’m an athlete,’” he wrote. Enjoy the game of golf; I really enjoy playing it. Anything that occurs happens.
