Justin Thomas is a two-time Grand Slam champion. He and Tiger Woods are close personal friends. He could and did play golf with anyone he wanted. But at 15, he was just a regular teenager working as a caddy, fighting acne, and trying to save up for his first car. So imagine what it must feel like to have one day, completely out of the blue, this Michael Jordan showed up for a round.
That’s the story Thomas told on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night. Apparently one year, “MJ” (as “JT” called him) was in town for the Kentucky Derby and wanted to play golf. He asked NBA friend Junior Bridgeman for recommendations on local courses, and Bridgeman recommended Harmony Landing Country Club, which Thomas’ father, Mike Thomas, has since The club’s head professional since 1990. Next thing you know, Jordan is teeing off with Mike, with little JT on his bag.
This tradition lasted for three years. On the back nine last year, Jordan told JT to record his clubs. Jordan teamed up with Thomas over the final seven holes, and in classic Jordan fashion, he bet some money on the game, not knowing he was playing against a future PGA Tour pro.
Despite admitting he felt the pressure to fight alongside Michael Jordan – We’ve all seen “The Last Dance” and know that Jordan sometimes treated his teammates worse than his opponents. Thomas said he “birdied four of the last seven holes and helped pay for my first car.”
Incredible stuff. It’s one thing to tell the story on Colbert, who has 15 PGA Tour titles, but imagine trying to tell it to your friends at school the next day. You’ll be laughed at in study hall and ostracized in the cafeteria. You might be called the world’s number one gibberer. No amount of forensic evidence can convince them…until you roll up that shiny new whip, that is.