Justin Thomas’ Favorite Golf Gambling Story: 36 Holes with Michael Jordan

The Action Network spoke with several of today’s top professional golfers to find out their favorite personal golf betting stories.

• Who: Justin Thomas
• When: About nine years ago
• Where: Harmony Landing CC (Goshen, Ky.)

Each year, Michael Jordan and a group of friends would travel to the Kentucky Derby, arriving a day early to play 36 holes at Harmony Landing, where Mike Thomas was (and still is) the head professional and his son Justin was a ubiquitous presence around the course.

Justin spent a few years caddying for Jordan before finally getting the call to play, teaming up with MJ for a memorable match.

“We don’t have caddies or tee times at our course, but they wanted a caddie, so I would go out with them. The first year, I was probably 13. I’d just get out of school; I was going to learn a lot more out there than I was in school.

“The first few years, I’d just caddie. When I was 16, I went out with the group and they started on No. 3 for some reason.

“I was riding with MJ. When we got to the first hole, he said, ‘Go get your clubs.’ He told them, ‘Alright, I’ve got the little man. We’ll take whoever wants us.’

“There’s eight people. He wouldn’t tell me the game; he said I didn’t need to hear that.

“Everyone’s giving me grief, because I was playing the same tees as them. I was tiny when I was 16.

“So we played the last seven holes and I made four birdies. We drummed 'em pretty good. That was fun.

“He just made me feel comfortable. I’d played in some big national tournaments, but that was the biggest deal I’ve ever played in. It was pretty cool. We had a pretty memorable day that we still talk about.

“He always took care of everybody tipping, so let’s just say my tip was a little bigger that year.”

Other golf gambling stories from the Tour

• Adam Scott's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: Fred Couples, Phil Ivey and $10K
• Tony Finau's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: A $500 Hole-In-One
• Justin Thomas' Favorite Golf Gambling Story: 36 Holes With Michael Jordan
• Paul Casey's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: A Winning Pitch vs. Lefty
• Marc Leishman's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: The International Hustle
• Rickie Fowler's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: 1-on-1 with Michael Jordan
• Zach Johnson's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: When Doubling Down Goes All Wrong
• Brendan Steele's Favorite Golf Gambling Story: Ratted Out for Winning Too Much