PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tom Brady may have seven Super Bowl rings, MVP trophies hanging around his house, been married to a super model and made gobs of money, but when it comes to golf he’s one of us.
Not since he ripped his pants in The Match has Brady, an eight handicap, been humbled by the game as publicly as topping his opening tee shot at the first hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Friday. Video cameras were rolling as Brady hit one of golf’s more embarrassing shots.
Tom Brady is…ONE OF US! pic.twitter.com/b8oJA2k33e
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) February 3, 2024
Brady was whisked away in a waiting vehicle after signing his scorecard so he didn’t have to face any questions but really, what is there to say about a shot like that?
In the battle of NFL quarterbacks, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills finally got the better of Tom Brady at something.
Allen said he’d never beaten him in anything – winless against Brady at the helm of the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as competing in golf in The Match (Brady and Aaron Rodgers knocked off Allen and Patrick Mahomes) and in the AT&T Pro-Am previously.
It took going low on Friday at Pebble Beach but Allen edged Brady in the 36-hole pro-am portion of the tournament.
Allen and his pro partner Keith Mitchell shot 11-under 61 to tie for sixth at 14-under, two strokes better than Brady and his pro partner Keegan Bradley, who shot a pair of 66s.
“It feels pretty good,” Allen said, breaking into a wide smile as he acknowledged he also won a bet with Brady.
“Not monetary but some good pride and some other things. Felt good to beat him. Wish I would have had that happen on the football field, but we’ll take it where we can get it with him,” he said.
Asked about the wager, Allen said, “I can’t tell you that, I can’t tell you all my secrets. It’s something cool, it’s something you can put in your house.”
In a video posted by the PGA Tour, Allen can be heard saying to Brady, “You know what I want? Can I … what I want is a signed jersey.”
Allen said he contributed on about five holes, but failed to make a natural birdie on Friday.
“I had a few pars when I popped. I didn’t play up to my best, I don’t think, but I give myself some grace, haven’t played in about five or six months,” he said.
At 17-under, Rory McIlroy and Jeff Rhodes, a nine-handicap and co-chairman of TPG Capital, won the pro-am portion of the event by one stroke over Matt Fitzpatrick/George Still, Matthieu Pavon/Pascal Grizot and Patrick Cantlay/Egon Durban.