Justin Thomas has been a professional golfer since 2013, but the 31-year-old has been dominating legends on the green for much longer than that. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Thomas revealed how his golfing skills earned him his first car, courtesy of Michael Jordan.
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Colbert showed Thomas an old picture of the two on the green together, asking the fifteen-time PGA Tour winner how old he was when they played. Thomas shared he was just 15 years old at the time, and the Bulls legend had little clue what he’d be in for on the course that day.
Thomas explained how the golf matchup came together because one of Jordan’s friends and former NBA player, Junior Bridgeman, was also friends with his father. Jordan wanted to golf while he was in town for the Kentucky Derby, giving Thomas an opportunity to prove himself at a young age.
“So [Jordan] would come out and play my dad’s course,” Thomas shared. “And I would just be lucky enough to be out there when he was playing.” Thomas then shared that he even made a friendly wager with Jordan, a known high-stakes gambler.
Thomas revealed he didn’t immediately play alongside His Airness. Instead, he served as his group’s caddy during their first two visits to his dad’s course. But on the third and final visit, Jordan proposed a challenge to the young golf star. “Little man, go get your clubs. You’re gonna play the last seven holes with us,” Thomas remembered MJ telling him.
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He played alongside Jordan, and although he didn’t receive any pressure to perform from the winning-obsessed icon, he shared he felt enough pressure just playing with MJ. In the end, though, young Thomas came through for the six-time champion. “I made four birdies in seven holes and helped pay for my first car,” Thomas said with a laugh.
Michael Jordan didn’t realize how good Justin Thomas was
A skinny 15-year-old at the time, Thomas revealed that no one expected much from him when he joined the group. Jordan knew he was good, but he didn’t know he was future pro good. Meanwhile, no one else in the group had any idea about Thomas’ supreme golf skills, giving Jordan an advantage when he picked him up for his team.
Jordan knew he’d be able to use the young golf prodigy to his benefit, and he did. Known for betting $300,000 a hole, Jordan used Thomas to help him swindle his golf buddies in a classic MJ move. Thomas was just happy to help out the legend, but Jordan always made sure to cash in on his opportunities.
