3. 11.2013
tim rosaforte
when m.j. talks, top pros listen
luke donald, ernie els and
Keegan bradley have all been
dropping michael Jordan’s
name lately in regard to what
they’re learning in practice
games and putting matches
with the nba great. rory
mcilroy got the call to be
michael’s partner in the
medalist gc member-guest.
when i asked tiger woods
recently if there was one iconic
athlete, entertainment star or
business leader who he tapped
for advice on life at the top,
there was no hesitation: “m.J.”
his experiences to preparing
for an nba final to donald’s
search for a first major victory
and the majors, or his standing
on the free throw line in a tight
game to els staring down a
putt, or, in the case of bradley,
Jordan’s own verbal joust-
ing with larry bird. (count
on Jordan being in mcilroy’s
ear when they face woods
and ahmad rashad friday at
medalist.)
tell him when he was the no. 1
player, he didn’t lead the tour
in driving.”
els was doing a putting drill
recently when he heard, “i’ve
got $100 you don’t make it.”
Knowing the voice to be
Jordan’s, els said, “make it
$150,” and made the putt.
that’s the mindset Jordan was
hoping to see from the reign-
ing british open champion.
me is that he gets in his own
way sometimes,” Jordan said.
“when he plays with me, he
shoots 64 or 65. i tell him that
attitude should never change
when he plays in a tourna-
ment. when he plays against
me, he just relaxes and lets it
flow.”
this is all very flatter-
ing to Jordan, but he wants
everybody to know he is not
in the golf instruction busi-
ness. “this is where i become
uncomfortable,” Jordan said
from his new home at the
bear’s club in Jupiter, fla. “i’m
not a golf coach, never will be,
won’t try to be.”
“as friends we talk about
things,” Jordan said about the
tour pros in his circle. “but i’m
not looking for credit. i’m look-
ing to help you out, wanting to
make you the best you can be
from a sports standpoint.”
“Just like a free throw,” Jor-
dan said. “you need the right
fundamentals, like make sure
you extend. but you should
never be defensive, never as-
sume you’re going to miss it,
never think, ‘what if?’ ”
donald gives Jordan six a
side. when bradley wants
to know why only five a side
with him, Jordan shoots back:
“because luke’s in the top 10,
and you’re not there yet.”
donald has known Jordan
since his college days at
northwestern. luke told me
before the wgc-accenture
match play that Jordan, “busts
you, makes you tougher,
then he builds you up.” one
of those ways is when luke
obsesses over his driving ef-
ficiency. “he knows he’s not
a bomber,” Jordan said. “but i
Jordan loves bradley in the
sense that he doesn’t lack any
confidence and knows how
to trash talk with the best. “in
that way he reminds me of
larry bird,” Jordan said.
Jordan has been a fixture
in presidents cup and ryder
cup team rooms for years. as
a member of the medalist and
the bear’s club, he relates
Jordan would like to see
bradley play the same way
on tour he does giving five
shots a side. “what he says to
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