Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, Golf, Tiger Woods
Josh Lawless
Michael Jordan's competitiveness is almost unrivalled and the NBA icon has been accused of taking the same approach as Donald Trump on the golf course.
The six-time NBA champion, arguably the greatest to ever step on the court, is also a keen golfer and has his own exclusive, invite-only club called Grove XXIII - which has less than 100 members and is based in Hobe Sound.
According to former No.1 ranked golfer Rickie Fowler, the course is known as 'Slaughterhouse 23' and has been specifically designed to suit Jordan's way of playing.
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31-year-old, Justin Thomas, a two-time major win and another former world No.1, is also said to be on the member list and had let slip on what Jordan gets up to when he plays.
In September 2020, the 15-time PGA tour champion exposed His Airness for cheating at golf.
Thomas teamed with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose at the opening of Payne's Valley Golf Course and all four had microphones.
As reported by Golf Magic, Woods kicked off proceedings with a poor tee shot and as all players walked down the fairway, looked to his left to see if the ball was still in play.
Then, Thomas made a remark about Jordan - hinting that he is prone to kicking his ball out of the rough in difficult moments.
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He said: "It would be like playing with MJ (if we found that tee shot), ‘I got it, it’s right here. Oh, Tiger, it kicked out into the fairway."
The claims were eerily similar to accusations about golf fanatic President Donald Trump from former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, who said he "has to win and he will do anything to cheat".
Reilly also said that during a golf session in LA, Trump hit the ball into the pond - only for it to be in the middle of the fairway almost immediately - with the 78-year-old claiming it "must have been the tide".
Jordan has regularly been seen at various celebrity golf tournaments and events and once told Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry why feels as though it is "the hardest game to play" - hence why he might take a few tactical measures.
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“I can always respond to an opponent, a defensive guard, an offensive guard or whatever," Jordan explained.
"But in golf it’s like playing in a mirror and you’re battling yourself consistently to try and get perfection – every swing and every put.
“For a competitive person like me, this is what keeps me sane. When I walked away from the game of basketball, that was enough to keep my competitive juices working.
“I stay in my lane. I watch these guys and they are good. It’s great to watch them under the pressure of being able to hit shot after shot – knowing you got so many thousands of people against you and so many thousands of people supporting you. You don’t want to let them down.
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“I don’t have the skillset to put myself in that environment. If you tell me I’ve got a basketball in my hand that’s a different story but with a golf club in my hand there’s no way I can get comfortable to hit a 50-yard shot or 100-yard shot. Not with all these people.”