The rules of the sport are no bar when it comes to athletes learning from each other. After the Buffalo Bills got knocked out of the Super Bowl run by the Chiefs in the playoffs, their quarterback shifted his focus to his other hobby: golf! Josh Allen even had a star-struck moment earlier this year when he met one of the only two athletes who can make his “heart beat faster.”
The Wyoming product played basketball in high school and is an avid golfer to this day. So it’s no surprise that Allen’s childhood heroes were two all-time greats, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. In a recent golf outing, Allen revealed his childhood idols and how meeting the golf legend inspired him.
The Bills QB is spending his time off from football playing his second favorite sport, golf. In a game cum conversation with Grant Hovart, he talked about his meeting with Woods in Feb at Genesis Invitational Pro-Am. He also shared how the 82-time PGA Tour winner had him fully invested as a kid, so much so that a young Allen would feel the “pressure” when his idol was in a tough spot in a game.
“It was him and Kobe growing up where if they were on TV like turn it on let me- stress it out with them like my heart would beat. Like if he’s sitting over like a four or five footer -I’m feeling the pressure,” said Allen.
The 2018 draft pick shared how he got the chance to pick Woods’ brain at the Riviera Country Club and how the experience and learnings would stay with him forever. “It was sweet, though,” said the quarterback. “- [to] get a talk with him and ask him questions, his mindset like stuff – I’ll take with me and never forget.”
While Allen couldn’t be happier meeting and getting the chance to delve into his idol’s mindset face-to-face, the golf legend was also pleasantly surprised at the 27-year-old athlete’s curiosity.
Woods was impressed by Allen’s sports IQ
The 11-time PGA Player of the Year admired the young quarterback’s love for golf, especially the sport being of the opposite nature as football. “Josh’s game, considering what he does for a living and the pounding that he takes on the body, the fact that he’s been able to play this game, you can see the enjoyment that he has and the addiction that he has for the game of golf,” said Woods, as per Golf Digest.
The golf star further explained how athletes’ brains work similarly, no matter what sport they play. So when he saw Allen ask away questions to gain insight for bettering his game, Woods recognized the true sportsman in him.
“He asked unbelievable questions today about how he can get better that only athletes really can ask those type of questions,” he said. “That’s what’s neat about being able to play with athletes, see how their brain works. We’re very similar across the board whether we’re playing football or golf or baseball, how we look at things are very consistent.”
This was Allen’s second meeting with the golf icon and brought out the sports nerd inside in the Bills’ quarterback. As for Woods, he was proud and charmed by his young partner’s sports acumen.
