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“She Did Beat Me”- Despite His Trash Talk, Michael Phelps Reveals Wife Nicole Johnson Easily Outclasses Him at Golf

Published 07/07/2022, 9:30 AM EDT

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Michael Phelps has already crowned himself the king of the pool over and over again. His 23 Olympic gold medals and 27 World Championship titles are a testament to his prowess in the water. Rarely the world sees an athlete of his caliber, but swimming is not Phelps’ only sport of choice.

Not only is he an avid golfer, but according to the Icon Series Website, Michael Phelps’ handicap is currently 10. Since he retired from swimming, Phelps has been learning to golf, but it seems his wife can out-golf the player!

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Michael Phelps on playing golf with his wife

The Icons Series was a sporting event with two teams full of sporting stars going up against each other in a 10-hole round of golf. Michael Phelps joined Team USA and, in a press conference, opened up about his love for the sport of golf and competing with his wife.

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“As you heard up here, you can compete with absolutely anybody. I actually compete with my wife,” the swimmer shared. And they don’t just compete, they go all out. “I talk a lot of trash with my wife on the course, and it’s awesome. But she did beat me last time, so she can hold that over my head.”

That’s right. The swimming GOAT lost a match against his wife, Nicole Johnson Phelps. But good news from the most decorated Olympian as Team USA came out on top in the 2022 Icons Series golf tournament. The match was held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Michael Phelps’ Wife Nicole Johnson Once Conquered Him in the Arena Where He Used to Spend $25,000 Weekly

According to the Bleacher Report, Phelps went undefeated over the two days and might just be ready to get his tour card. He was 1-up on super middleweight boxing champion Canelo Alvarez, who has a handicap of 8.

Phelps on joining the world of golf

Michael Phelps had set his sights on becoming a scratch golfer as he retired after the Rio Olympics. In 2017, Phelps had a handicap of 12 and admitted that whittling it down to a single-digit would take a lot more time than he could afford.

“My wife will never see me if I’m getting down to a 5. It’s going to take a lot of grinding,” Phelps admitted“If I want to get better, I really have to put in the time. So we’ll see how much time I’m allowed.”

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He made a bet with a friend that he could get his handicap down to 5, but it wasn’t that easy, even for one of the greatest athletes alive. After all, Phelps’ secret to success is practice, practice, and more practice. But as a father of three boys, there’s only so much time he is willing to spend away from home.

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The most impressive part of his game, though? His custom 28-star wedge stamp features one star for each Olympic medal he has won in his swimming career. No matter what, Phelps will always be exceptional.

“How Terrible Is the World”-Michael Phelps’ Mother Was Once Deeply Hurt to See Her Son in Crisis

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Written by:

Mansi Jain

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Mansi Jain is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She has a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Mass Communication from the University of Delhi and has also previously interned for HT Media. She is always one mention of Yuzuru Hanyu away from delivering an hour-long speech about the athlete's legacy.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa