Can't blame Xander Schauffele for feeling himself a little bit. He just outdueled Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship for his first major victory, and figured an opponent like second-greatest basketball player ever Michael Jordan would be small potatoes by comparison.
In spite a not-inconsiderable amount of golf knowledge kicking around in this noggin, I can't for the life of me figure out what "pancaking" means in the following clip of Xander telling CBS' Colt Knost about his heads-up match with MJ. I assume that just means Xander beat him soundly. At least for a while. As Schauffele explains, he started yapping at the six-time NBA champion when he was winning the holes on which he was giving up strokes.
That's all the ultimate competitor Jordan needed to hear before flipping the switch, making natural birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, and defeating Schauffele in their duel.
https://twitter.com/GolfonCBS/status/1800248867218510054
Jordan has been an enthusiastic golfer dating back to his playing days, and legend has it that MJ is out on the links every single day to get 36 holes in. With those lifetime Jordan Brand royalty checks rolling in to the tune of something like $330 million annually, the man needs to do something to maintain his edge. No stranger to gambling large sums of money on golf, Jordan loves to chop it up with the best pros and square off to see how he stacks up. Schauffele and Knost can be heard in this video raving about MJ's short game and putting in particular.
Given that he retired from the NBA briefly to take up a baseball career in the minor leagues, it's not a huge surprise that the swing from the batter's box translates well to the course for His Airness. Even weekend warriors will tell you, though, that golf is a game of saving strokes from 100 yards and in. From what Schauffele and Knost share in this here clip, MJ seems to be sound in all facets of that critical area.
Even if somebody is oozing with golf talent, for most of us, it takes countless hours of practice, bashing range balls and drilling short game and putting technique to become decent at golf. Then you have to maintain that, carry it over to the course, and learn how to score well. However many strokes MJ was getting off Schauffele, it's wildly impressive that he beat him in any context.
The best way to sum up why that went down the way it did? Knost's sarcastic reply to Schauffele regarding Jordan: "Weird. Weird he came through when he needed to."
Get a load of this story from NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick about playing golf with Jordan on a day the Bulls had a game. It's truly an all-timer. Thirty-six holes of golf and double-digit beers during the day; 52 points scored in a 26-point blowout win that night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq_vDB6qVFY
