NFL icon Eli Manning proved he's just as skilled at pranks as he was at throwing touchdowns during a hilarious stunt at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP caused chaos on the course when he pretended to be an amateur golfer during Wednesday's pro-am event, complete with an outrageous outfit and deliberately terrible shots that left professionals baffled.
The Masterful Setup
Manning arrived at TPC Southwind dressed in the most stereotypical amateur golfer attire imaginable - oversized sunglasses, knee-high white socks, and a bucket hat that looked like it came from a 1980s garage sale. His clubs were deliberately mismatched, and he even brought along a golf bag that appeared to be held together with duct tape.
"I wanted to look like someone who had never played before but thought they were really good," Manning later explained with a grin.
Pulling the Wool Over Pros' Eyes
The former New York Giants quarterback played his role to perfection, topping drives that barely made it past the ladies' tees and taking comically long practice swings before each shot. At one point, he even pretended to argue with his caddie about club selection while clearly holding the wrong iron for the situation.
The highlight came when Manning "accidentally" hit into the group ahead - which just happened to include PGA Tour star Billy Horschel. Horschel initially looked ready to confront the apparent amateur before realizing who it was, at which point he burst out laughing.
Reactions from the Golf World
Several tour professionals took to social media after discovering they'd been fooled:
- Justin Thomas tweeted: "Eli Manning just punked half the PGA Tour. Legend."
- Jordan Spieth posted: "That might be the best pro-am performance I've ever seen."
- Rickie Fowler simply shared a crying-laughing emoji in response to videos of the prank.
The stunt was all in good fun to promote the tournament's charity work for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Manning has been a longtime supporter of the organization and used the attention from his prank to encourage donations.
As golf fans know, this isn't the first time a celebrity has pulled off a brilliant disguise at a PGA Tour event - but Manning's commitment to the bit might just make this the most memorable golf prank of the year.
