Sunday, December 22, 2024

Xander Schauffele Reveals ‘Embarrassing’ Golf Loss to Michael Jordan: ‘He Beat Me Straight Up’

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Schauffele, who won the most recent PGA championship, admitted he tried to trash talk the NBA legend

<p>Scott Taetsch/PGA of America via Getty; Alexander Tamargo/WireImage</p> Xander Schauffele (left); Michael Jordan

Scott Taetsch/PGA of America via Getty; Alexander Tamargo/WireImage

Xander Schauffele (left); Michael Jordan

PGA champion Xander Schauffele revealed that NBA legend Michael Jordan handed him an “embarrassing” loss when the two athletes competed in a round of golf.

Schauffele, 30, told the story of his matchup with Jordan, 61, during a segment shared on X (formerly Twitter) with CBS’ Colt Knost, a former PGA player, during practice for the Memorial Tournament.

Knost, 38, asked Schauffele if he had ever golfed with the six-time NBA champion and suggested that Jordan makes it “really hard” to “s— talk him” on the course.

Schauffele agreed and told Knost, “I did my best version of it and then he beat me straight up,” calling the loss “embarrassing.”

Knost seemed surprised that Jordan defeated Schauffele, who explained, “In the last three holes yeah, I pancaked him and on his stroke holes I started talking s— to him.”

Related: Scottie Pippen Says Michael Jordan Was ‘a Horrible Teammate’ Who Took ‘Bad Shots’

Schauffele said that’s when Jordan “got all quiet” and “focused” before he “birdied like 15-16, no strokes, beat me straight up.”

Knost said, “He can putt,” to which Schauffele agreed and added, “And chip!”

The golfers sarcastically joked that it was “weird” that Jordan, known for his ruthless will to win and legendary trash talk, “came through when he needed to,” to win the matchup.

Schauffele’s fun story about Jordan comes just after his first major professional golf championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., on May 19.

Related: Why Xander Schauffele’s Wife Was So Emotional After PGA Win: ‘She Knows How Much This Means to Me’ (Exclusive)

After the win, Schauffele told PEOPLE about the emotional reactions from his family.

“I called my dad first and he was crying on the phone,” he said of his father, who was in Hawaii at the time. “It was right before I took the stand at the podium to receive the trophy, so I quickly had to hang up with him knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to fight back tears if I kept talking to him.”

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When he spoke to his mother on the phone, Schauffele said, “She started crying on the phone too, so I quickly realized I probably had to catch up with my parents after it was all said and done just because I was going to be too emotional in the meantime.”

<p>Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images</p> Xander Schauffele smiles as he speaks on his phone after the 106th PGA Championship<p>Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images</p> Xander Schauffele smiles as he speaks on his phone after the 106th PGA Championship

Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Xander Schauffele smiles as he speaks on his phone after the 106th PGA Championship

His wife, Maya Schauffele, was perhaps the most visibly emotional after her husband’s win.

Maya made headlines for her candid interview with The Athletic immediately after the match when she told the outlet she was “blacking out” while watching her husband claim the 2024 PGA Championship. “This means everything,” she said in the moment.

“My wife has the most inside track to my emotions on a day-to-day basis, so she just knows how much not winning has been wearing on me,” Schauffele told PEOPLE.

“My wife keeps me grounded, so I know she was emotional just because she knows how much this means to me and she’s been so supportive my entire career,” he continued, highlighting how “it’s really cool for me to share it with her.”

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