Justin Thomas says playing golf with Michael Jordan ‘helped me pay for my first car’

Celebrity selector on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” courtside friend with Nick Saban at Alabama basketball games, and now a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Justin Thomas may be busier off the golf course than on it these days.

To promote the second season of the Netflix documentary series “Full Swing,” now streaming, the PGA golfer who plays for the University of Alabama appeared on Monday’s late-night talk show to talk about dealing with pressure and playing well on the course. story. Vulnerability with Michael Jordan.

Chanting “JT!” As the golfers sat inside the Ed Sullivan Theater, the host mused first on the game.

Colbert said he had played some golf and often felt frustrated, so he asked Thomas if pros held themselves to a higher standard. “I hope so,” he said. “It’s my job so I have to perform well, but the frustration is still there.”

Colbert asked him if he meditates to stay focused. “I’ve tried,” Thomas said. “You pretty much just have to deal with it.” Colbert then hilariously wrote “deal with it” to help himself in future contests.

The host then showed a photo of 15-year-old Thomas playing golf with legendary basketball superstar Michael Jordan and asked how he got this opportunity. Jordan, who grew up in Louisville, wanted to play some golf while in town for the Kentucky Derby, Thomas said. Thomas’ father and Jordan had a mutual friend, former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, and he would contact them to play together.

Colbert asked Thomas if they wanted to participate in any friendly bets. Thomas said he didn’t play in tournaments for the first few years but served as the team’s caddy. One day, Jordan invited Thomas (who Jordan called “Little Man”) to play the final seven holes of the round with them. When Colbert asked him if he felt pressure to perform, Thomas said playing with the six-time NBA champion was enough.

After all, the host forced Thomas to know how he was doing. “I had four birdies in seven holes and helped pay for my first car,” he said with a laugh. Thomas clarified that he won more than $3,000 or $4,000 before his father told him to tip Jordan’s assistant after 36 holes. “‘I only have a few hundred,'” Thomas recalled telling his father. “So my dad, he was kind of teasing me. He said, ‘Well, you gotta tip him,’ and I said, ‘Okay,’ and I gave him a hundred dollars, and my dad said, ‘I can’t believe it. You just gave him a hundred dollar tip, but that’s all I have. Yes.”

He also discussed competing in the Ryder Cup, as evidenced by a clip from Colbert playing “All In.”

Thomas, 30, was born in Louisville and played golf at UA and helped the team win the national championship in 2013. He turned pro shortly thereafter and remains one of the top players on tour to this day. He has since won five PGA Tour events and two major golf tournaments, the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships.

Watch the full clip in the video above.

Thomas recently got a shout-out from another NBA legend when Charles Barkley congratulated the University of Alabama following the Crimson Tide’s win over Grand Canyon in the NCAA Tournament. When host Ernie Johnson corrected him with “also known as the University of Alabama,” Barkley admitted he knew what he was talking about.

“I did it to find Justin Thomas,” Barkley said. “He hates it when I say that.”