Negreanu Gets Chippy With a Golf Champion
The Atlantis ballroom momentarily transformed into a golfing range last night as Daniel Negreanu squared up against golf champion Wyndham Clark in a chipping challenge.
Rather than chip a ball into a hole on the green, the Poker Hall of Famer and 2023 U.S. Open champion competed to land a shot on a raised poker table — completely covered in poker chips — on the other side of the room.
"Obviously golf is my thing, we're going to do a chip-off," Negreanu said as he filmed his blog ahead of the challenge. "My concern, because I aim high, is these ceilings."
Negreanu and Clark started with a $5,000 poker flip (which went Clark's way) before engaging in some light banter as Negreanu claimed to be "one of the best putters in the world."
"We're going to bet later. We'll see," Negreanu told Clark.
The two then made their way over to the impromptu tee as WSOP cleared a lane and temporarily paused the tournament action. Martin Kabrhel was nearby and surprisingly remained silent, though he did stand up and aggressively eye down the action.
They took practice shots and, despite Negreanu's concerns, it was Clark who overshot and hit the back ballroom wall. Clark then landed his first attempt with a miraculous bank shot of the WSOP Paradise cloth backdrop that brought cheers from the room.
Negreanu had a chance to match the shot but couldn't do so as he fell 0-2 to Clark. Negreanu followed up with a second shot, but no dice.
Clark then made his way back to a high-stakes cash game in the back of the room that included Ben Lamb and Jean-Robert Bellande, who had watched the chip-off with a glass of red wine in hand.
Negreanu has already been out on the Bahamas Golf Course once this trip, so he may have another shot at redemption against Clark — and a chance to prove his putting prowess.
