Back before every famous athlete and entertainer played golf, Michael Jordan carried the torch for celebrity golfers everywhere. The NBA legend was never the best of the bunch, but he held a low handicap and he played more than most tour pros.
He also played with plenty of tour pros, including, of course, Tiger Woods. The two were close friends, playing countless rounds together—sometimes at PGA Tour pro-ams, but mostly away from the cameras. And it was one of those unseen rounds that was particularly magical.
Someone playing recently at the Merit Club in Gurnee, Illinois, noticed a framed scorecard involving the two superstars on the wall there. The date was April 30, 1998, so Woods had already produced his landmark 12-shot Masters victory in 1997 and MJ was just a couple months away from finishing off a sixth and final NBA title.
And both were clearly on their game that day. Have a look:
Yep, that thing deserves to hang in a museum, indeed.
As you can see, Jordan fired a 73, but still lost by eight to Woods, who set a new course record with a 65, including a back-nine 31. Not too shabby.
Of course, what that scorecard doesn’t say is how much money was exchanged between the two after the round. But we’re going to guess Woods did OK that day.