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The competition at the top of the leaderboard is going neck to neck at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. However, Xander Schauffele had been struggling to keep up with his fellow PGA Tour stars. While he merely made the cut at the event, it did not stop the golfer from providing the highlight of the tournament, by recording a slam dunk on the birthday of one of the greatest dunkers, Michael Jordan.

Schaufelle has yet to touch the silverware in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season. While he made three top-10 finishes in 5 starts, the Las Vegas-based golfer will find it hard to secure a similar spot at the Genesis Invitational. He currently stands tied at the 60th position with a total score of +1.

Nonetheless, Schaufelle still created moments of beauty at the Riviera Golf Club. With only a hole left to spare before he headed back home missing the cut, let’s look at how the golfer’s insane Slam Dunk birdie helped him secure a pay cheque from the PGA Tour event.

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Is this how the PGA Tour pro celebrated Michael Jordan’s birthday?

While the best golfers in the world were competing in the second round of the Genesis Invitational, the world of sports wished for and celebrated NBA legend Michael Jordan’s 60th birthday. On this special occasion, Xander Schaufelle recorded a slam dunk on the 17th hole of Riviera Golf Club.

The term Slam Dunk may refer to a basketball player making the jump to the rim to slam it inside the basket, it defers when it comes to golf. In the 18-hole sport, the term means when a golfer’s shot directly lands inside the hole with no prior bounce. Schaufelle stunned everyone when he scored a Slam Dunk in the 17th hole from 148 yards to record a birdie.

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If it wasn’t for the insane shot, the 29-year-old would have missed the cut and would also be missing out on the $20 million prize money. Following the mesmerizing shot, the commentator recognized the moment with Jordan’s birthday. “Slam dunk on MJ’s birthday”, said the commentator. Back in his heyday, the NBA Hall of Famer caught everyone off guard with his amazing dunking skills.

He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest twice, earning him the nickname ‘Air Jordan’. Though Xander Schaufelle and Michael Jordan have nothing much in common, apart from their love for golf, it is pretty ironic for the world number 6 to score a slam dunk on MJ’s birthday. Perhaps it might be the beginning of their soon-to-be new friendship.

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What are your thoughts on Schaufelle’s insane birdie? Let us know in the comment section below.

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