Golf’s Jordan has a lot of that other Jordan in him.
A hole-out from a bunker on the fourth hole to take the lead Sunday at the Masters.
Beating two-time major champion Rory McIlroy by seven strokes while playing alongside him the first two days at Augusta National.
Dusting Tiger Woods by eight shots with a 63 in the second round at Torrey Pines earlier this season.
Beating Phil Mickelson by nine last year with a 62 in the final round at TPC Boston, which also punched him a ticket to The Presidents Cup as a captain’s pick for Fred Couples.
Another bunker bomb, this one on the 72nd hole of last year’s John Deere Classic to get into a payoff that he eventually won on the fifth extra hole.
But even Michael Jordan had to endure failure before claiming basketball’s ultimate prize. To wit, dunks only get you so far and despite a dream start Sunday at Augusta National, Jordan Spieth learned that a lot of dreams die hard early in one’s career.
After playing his first seven holes in 3 under, Spieth followed with a three-putt bogey on the eighth for his first 6 on the scorecard all week then peeked as he hit his approach into the par-4 ninth. The ball landed below the hole and rolled back into the fairway. He made double bogey and never saw the lead again.
Two holes, two-shot swing, a second Green Jacket to Bubba Watson.
“It's an underrated shot,” Spieth said of his approach to the ninth. “It's not a standard, on-the-driving-range 9-iron. You really have to work towards being aggressive at the ball, and I may have just picked (my head) up just a little early hoping to see it go right at the hole, and I just caught it a little thin.”
And with it his chances of becoming the youngest ever Masters champion and the first payer in nearly 30 years to win in his first trip down Magnolia Lane went from slim to none. Watson had a lot to do with that, too, but even he admitted no one really made a run at him on the back nine.
That included Spieth, who had one bogey and zero birdies during that span.
It will be 25 years ago Wednesday that the other Jordan scored a record 63 points in a playoff game against a roster of Hall-of-Fame Celtics, but it was Boston that won the game in double overtime and eventually the series.
That was Michael’s second year in the NBA. This is Jordan’s second year on the PGA TOUR. And like Air Jordan, Heir Jordan has done everything quickly in his career -- becoming the first teenager to win on TOUR in more than 80 years, for one -- so why should contending in a major be any different?
But when it comes to winning one, it’s a different ballgame -- especially at Augusta National. Even Tiger Woods, who holds the record as the tournament’s youngest champion, didn’t get his first Green Jacket until he was north of 21.
In a way, though, this might be the best thing that happens to Spieth because when he left Sunday night he was already starving for more.
“It stings right now, and the only thing I'm thinking about is, ‘When am I getting back next year? I’m hungry,” he said. “That's what's on my mind, because it's tough. It's tough being in this position.
“I've worked my whole life to lead Augusta on Sunday, and although I feel like it's very early in my career, and I'll have more chances, it's a stinger. I had it in my hands and I could have gone forward with it and just didn't quite make the putts and that's what it came down to.”
As cool as Spieth might be, nerves certainly played their part.
“I wasn't quite -- not quite as patient today as I was the first three rounds and holding emotions,” he said. “It was still the best I've ever done on a Sunday. I was very close, and I know that it can only improve from there.”
It did for the other Jordan.