Haute Events: Highlights from the First Day of the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational

The celebrity-pro-am portion of the 13th annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI) hosted by Aria at Shadow Creek ended its first day on Thursday with a spectacular 25-foot eagle putt on No. 18 by NFL All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  The Arizona Cardinals’ fan favorite led his team to a Day One win with a score of -17 under par, 55, one stroke better than two other teams who were tied for second with a -16 under par, 56.

Notable moments from the course:
To start his day, Michael Jordan rolled up in his North Carolina blue signature golf cart. He had fun with his group during the first day of the tournament, including daring one of his teammates to jump into the water at the 18th hole. His teammate willingly dove in which left the legend, along with the crowd, laughing hysterically. Throughout the day, Jordan bantered with fans on the course. One fan asked who he was taking in the Final Four to which he replied, “Wisconsin!”

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald chest-bumped his teammates after making a 35-foot putt midway through his Thursday round and finished the day with an eagle on 18 to win day one.

As Stuart Scott teed off on the first hole, a fan yelled from the crowd, “Cool as the other side of the pillow!,” referencing one of Scott’s famous SportsCenter catchphrases.

On Brandi Chastain’s 9th hole of the day, her second shot on the par 5 flew the green and hit a rake on the side of a sand trap. The ball bounced backwards onto the green and rolled into the hole for an amazing two. The crowd went nuts and Brandi pretended to take her shirt off, reminding fans of her infamous celebration after her game-winning penalty shootout kick against China in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Real Housewives of Orange County Star Gretchen Rossi took pointers from fiancé Slade Smiley before teeing off at the first hole. As Smiley approached the tee box, he was introduced as the “sixth housewife,” to which he replied, “It’s okay, I’m proud of it!” His first shot only went a few feet so he took a mulligan and made the crowd laugh by saying, “Now that’s how you start off the day!”

After finishing his 18 holes of golf, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw his golf ball into the MJCI bleachers at Shadow Creek’s 18th hole. Earlier in the day, he was spotted throwing a football around with his teammates on the 15th hole.

In true rock star fashion, Adrian Young’s group rolled up to each hole blasting music from their golf carts, playing everything from LMFAO’s “Party Rock” to “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones. But as he entered his backswing during his second shot, two large geese flew right over him, squawking and altering the shot. “I felt you!” he yelled jokingly at the birds.

Click on the photos below to enlarge.

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