Superstars create major buzz at Quail Hollow  PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Oh, the things you hear while following Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. "No, really, I swear it's Michael Jordan's arm. You can't really see it in this picture, but it's definitely him," said a follower, as the citizens of Charlotte collectively became paparazzi for a day, trying to snap the perfect non-blurry, over the heads of the crowd photo of Jordan.  Two of the world's most recognizable athletes joined forces on the golf course Wednesday. (Greenwood/WireImage)
"He waved to me. Did you see that? Now I don't even have to make it up!" said one excited fan who got a reaction from Jordan after shouting about his "clutch" shot that found the fairway on the final hole. And, reminding us that there's actually a generation of kids out there who never saw his Airness play a game, a father patiently explained, "No, son, he's the one in the white hat and shirt." See, everybody wants that Michael Jordan memory. While Jordan may live in a fishbowl and was in Beatles-plus-Elvis fan mania land today, he just grinned and soaked it up during Wednesday's Wachovia Championship pro-am, where he played with Woods and Skipper Beck, a local car dealer. Woods, who is used to attracting massive galleries during PGA TOUR events, got to take a backseat to someone else for a change. "Oh he took all of [the attention]. It was great. I just hung back and let him kind of take the whole wave of people," said Woods. Was it, say, comparable to playing practice rounds at the Masters with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer in 1996? "I can't remember. I was numb that day," Woods said. "I was 19 years old playing with the two biggest figures that the game has ever seen, and I was just in awe like everybody else was outside the ropes." That would pretty much explain Beck's round today, paired with arguably the two biggest figures in all of sports. But the good-natured car dealer and part-owner of the Bobcats -- who invited Jordan to play and counts him as a long-time friend -- managed to put together a good round despite some initial butterflies. "In my experience speaking in front of a crowd or playing in front of a crowd at anything, I thought that I could handle it. Again, I laid my head on my pillow last night and had about four alarm clocks set and I had somebody calling from my office and I was just scared to death. I had this vision of me running down No. 3 going 'I'm here, I'm here,' and missing the 7:30 tee time," said Beck, who said he finally caught his breath at about the fourth or fifth hole. "I don't think you can prepare yourself for it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." It was an early morning, as Woods often practices first before the heavy crowds arrive, but today there was no escaping the madness. He relished the chance to play with his good friend Jordan and the two entertained the crowd with ball-stealing antics and witty retorts to funny fan requests. "He's been like a big brother, so it's been great to have him as part of my life but we had a great time today. We always have a great time," said Woods. "Because we're such great friends, I've been able to have a person I can talk to on all these subjects because he basically went through it before me and actually probably without -- next to Muhammad Ali, probably the most iconic figure athlete-wise that America has ever had." The two first played together in 1997, Woods recalled, and he noted that Jordan's golf skills have diminished since then. "He's gotten worse, actually. Back then, don't forget, he was playing so he was being stretched every day, was working out, strong as can be," said Woods, who later added that Jordan is better at golf than Tiger is at basketball. For Beck the round was a "match made in heaven" and Woods enjoyed his time, but Jordan didn't have his most accurate day on the links. Did he still enjoy his day at Quail Hollow Club? "You know, we had a good time. It always gives me a chance to spend time with him. Our schedules are very hectic and rarely do we have a chance to spend time, and even though it was on the golf course, I still had a good time playing with him," said Jordan. And he may not have won the battle of the golf sticks, but he definitely won the super-athlete smack-talking duel. "He always does," said Woods. "He wins all the time. I'll just throw out a jab every now and then but basically this is my home court, so it's a little easier for me." |
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