Tiger Woods is widely considered the greatest golfer of all time. His record of 15 major championships across his career falls second only to the legendary Jack Nicklaus. Woods has also accumulated 81 PGA Tour wins, second-most in the history of the sport. Given his fascination for golf, Michael Jordan soon became a fan of Woods’ craft, before they became very close friends. However, years before all his wins and his $1.1 billion fortune, Woods once made an incredible prediction about himself at the age of just 14. In a recently resurfaced clip, the then aspiring golfer could be seen comparing his future legacy to that of basketball’s greatest ever.
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Jordan may have become famous for his ability on the basketball court, but he was just as passionate for golf, as he has admitted himself. Especially if he had a chance to play with Tiger Woods, His Airness would make time, no matter how busy he was.
A 14-year-old Tiger Woods predicted that he’d be to golf what Michael Jordan is to basketball
In 1990, a mere teenager, Tiger Woods had already made a name for himself. Having had his first high-profile experience on a golf course at just five years old, by the time he turned 14, Woods had already impressed the golfing world. In all likelihood, it also gave him the confidence to make the statement he went on to make.
During a 1990 interview, Woods was asked by a reporter about his aspirations as a pro golfer and the prejudice he has faced on golf courses, if any, as a Black player. Speaking on his experiences and what he intended to do to change it, Woods spoke profoundly about the legacy he aspires to achieve in golf, as seen in this tweet by ‘Historic Vids’. A 14-year-old Woods told the reporter:
“Every time I go to a major country club I always feel (the prejudice). I can sense it. People always staring at you, ‘What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here!’ When I go to Texas or Florida, you always feel it…Yes (I can help change that). Since I’m Black, it might be bigger than Jack Nicklaus. I might be even bigger than him. I might be like a Michael Jordan in basketball.”
14 year-old Tiger Woods speaking on racism in golf, 1990 pic.twitter.com/2xKIRTZOra
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) July 11, 2023
Woods also expressed his desire to win the Masters tournament, because of the way Black people were once treated there. Fast forward to today, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have enjoyed similarly steep levels of success in their respective careers, with the former winning 6 NBA titles and the latter winning 5 Masters titles. In hindsight, it is beyond impressive how accurate Woods was with his prediction.
Michael Jordan once refused to take a check from Tiger Woods
Michael Jordan has been a gambling man for some time now. In his own words, he enjoys winning other people’s money. So, when he and Tiger Woods played golf together, Jordan would often convince him to bet money on the games.
On one occasion, Jordan managed to get away with a victory rather brilliantly against Woods. And admittedly, what he said next about his policy on checks is iconic in its own right, something you can read in detail here.
