MEMPHIS, Tenn — To Memphians, it's certainly no secret that Penny Hardaway is an avid golfer. The 4-time NBA All-Star has no problem trading his basketball kicks for golf clubs.
To the uninitiated though, seeing the 6'7" hoops star's swing can still wow. Just ask golf pro Collin Morikawa.
"I mean look, it was impressive," Morikawa said. " I didn't know what to expect."
That's what the FedEx St. Jude Championship specializes in, bringing together unlikely pairings. Hardaway was in a group with Morikawa, the 4th ranked golfer in the FedEx Cup standings, for the golf tournament's Pro-amateur round.
Hardaway is a regular at the tournament, often found at both the pro-am and the celebrity-amateur the following day. If Memphis' head basketball coach was star-struck by Morikawa, he didn't show it. He held off on pestering Morikawa with any golf questions until the round's final hole.
"I didn't ask him one golf questions until we got to number 18. I was saying to him, 'Out of respect, I have to ask you some questions about the game,' because you don't play with a legend like that and a great player and not ask any questions," Hardaway said. "I hit a great drive and a great second shot onto the green."
Morikawa was happy to answer any questions the Memphis basketball star may have had, but it was clear that Hardaway possesses some talent for the golf course.
"Sometimes you see a two handicap and they're not a two, but I actually believe it. He's a great player and a great guy to hang out with for nine holes today," Morikawa said.
The sixth ranked golfer in the world may have to do some brushing up on Hardaway himself.
Morikawa, just 27 years old, said he certainly knew who Hardaway was, but would pull up some highlights to get a better grasp on the three-time All-NBA talent's game from his time in the league.
"What's cool about golf has given us is that I've been able to meet a bunch of athletes," Morikawa said. "Sometimes you forget how good they are and how amazing they are at what they do that when you talk to them and you hang out with them it's like, 'Oh they're just kind of normal guys.'
"But then when you see what they're able to do on the court or the field or whatever it is, it kind of puts you back and you're like, 'Man this guy that I just met is really special.'"
Morikawa said that he and Hardaway talked about Hardaway's coaching and what he's excited for this season. It was obvious to the golf pro that Hardaway is just as passionate about coaching as he was playing the game.