Whether basketball or golf, Michael Jordan has always shown unparalleled competitiveness in all facets of his career. The amateur golfer didn’t disappoint his fans. His former best friend, Tiger Woods, learned this first-hand, regretting underestimating Jordan’s prowess and sporting spirit. He even ended up paying a hefty price for misjudging the  6X NBA Champion’s competitive spirit.

Hark back to 2009 and Jordan is one of the finest amateur golfers. However, that year, he faced the biggest and toughest challenge of playing the Bethpage Black.

Tiger Woods lost his bet to Michael Jordan

 The 2009 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge featured the Chicago Bulls legend along with Justin Timberlake, and Ben Roethlisberger, Larry Giebelhausen participating at the event at Bethpage Black. Nestled in Farmingdale, New York, Bethpage Black is known for its demanding yet rewarding experience for golfers.

Featuring five 18-hole regulation golf courses, it has hosted major championships like the U.S. Open, two Barclays PGA Tour events, The PGA Championship, and the Ryder Cup. That could be one of the reasons why the golf GOAT Woods playfully teased and placed a bet that the 14x NBA All-Star won’t be able to break 92 at Black.

However, surprisingly, he finished it with 86. Following this in an interview, His Airness even hilariously poked fun at his friend. As per Golf Digest, he teased Woods by saying that he won and would like his prize money in cash. He said, “I don’t take checks.”

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Even if he was exceptional in securing the second position behind Ben Roethlisberger, Jordan recalled that he was nervous at the beginning.

Michael Jordan was nervous about his golf contest 

In the same interview, he spoke about his nervousness and said that since it wasn’t basketball, all the attention and the stress of the outcome made him nervous. “If we’re playing basketball, you could turn the camera guys on all day, but when you step outside your field, it’s a whole different atmosphere. You become human, and I was nervous.”

Following this, he did what he did best. Rather than getting nervous about the game, he started to enjoy his time at the course. He noted, “But after a while, I said, ‘I’m an athlete. I love playing the game of golf, so enjoy it. Whatever happens, happens.”

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