Michael Phelps reached a golf deal with Ping to provide the Olympian with world class golf clubs and the swimmer also appeared on the cover of GQ Italia. He was playing at the Phoenix Open pro-am on Wednesday and announced the news.
Phelps is a world class athlete and one of the most decorated Olympians in the world, but he is also an avid golfer and golf fan and he proved that once again with the Ping deal. According to ESPN.com, the company will provide the Olympic champion with fitted clubs and he also received a tour of Ping's Arizona facilities.
Since Phelps is 6-foot-4, the clubs have been able to greatly improve his game as they fit in with his large wingspan and hands.
"It's pretty wild," he told The Associated Press. "It's crazy to think this sport is so technical. A lot of sports are very technical, but one of the (Ping) guys said there's 50-something different shafts they can put on the clubs. I'm used to having a pair of goggles, a small, medium or large swim cap, and a jammer to put on, and that's it."
Ping customized Phelps' clubs, adding accents in both gold and red, white and blue.
"We've custom-built his clubs to ensure he has every chance to improve, and we believe he'll dedicate himself to golf with the same intensity he gave to swimming," said John A. Solheim, the company's chairman and CEO. "His global presence as a golfer will bring Ping tremendous exposure and just as importantly, shed additional light on the game in general."
Phelps played with Masters champion Bubba Watson in the pro-am.
"You can see he's an athlete and he's competitive, so he could be good if he practiced and put some time into it," Watson said. "Any athlete of that level has a chance to be good at another sport."
Phelps has been working with renowned coach Hank Haney for an eight-episode series on the Golf Channel that begins Feb. 25, but he struggled a bit on Wednesday, shooting a ball on the par-3 16th that rolled away from the green.
"I just feel like heartbeat firing through my shirt," Phelps said. "I felt my heart was going to jump out of my chest. It was something that was pretty cool, something I've never seen before and something I've never experienced.
"I was very nervous and my club was like shaking as I'm over the ball. I just pretty much had to try to swing the club as fast as I could. But it's wild. I have never heard people boo you, but I'm sure it's happened, my face is just under water. So it was a little different experience. Hopefully, I have a chance to come back and play again."
"You can't put limits on anything," Phelps said. "There's so much I could do. Maybe I can get good enough where I can make the Olympics in golf."
The sport is joining the Olympic program at the 2016 Rio Games.
"Hey, you never know," Phelps said, chuckling. "Being a golfer at the Olympics would be kind of fun."
Phelps is an 18-time medal winner at the Olympics and is also an avid Ravens fan and was seen earlier this year with the team celebrating on the field and in the locker room after Baltimore won the AFC championship game. In all the excitement, one yelled out "Party at Phelps' house!" after the Ravens has been presented the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
Phelps said that linebacker Ray Lewis has been an inspiration to him as he went through the latter stages of his Olympics career.
"For me, just having Ray being such an inspiration to me and having him help me get through the end of my career, for this to be his last AFC championship game, I had to be here," Phelps said. "I knew it wasn't going to be his last game. Our last game is the Super Bowl."
Phelps has been a longtime supporter of the team and has been seen on the sidelines at many home games.
"I think it's just cool for the city of Baltimore," Phelps said after the championship to the Baltimore Ravens team website. "I know how the fans are with their sports with every team, and just being able to come here. After seeing the support out there on the field, it's unbelievable. Everybody just went crazy. It's amazing."
He won the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year after his London 2012 Olympics performance, beating out superstars like LeBron James and Usain Bolt. Phelps collected six medals, including four gold and two silvers, for swimming events at the London Olympics to become one of the most decorated athletes of all-time. He previously won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and was awarded the AP male athlete of the year for that performance.
Phelps also made news earlier in the year after breaking up with his model girlfriend Megan Rossee after about 10 months of dating.
According to TMZ.com, the world-class athlete ended the relationship because the romance was "not going anywhere." The website wrote that sources said: "Phelps felt the relationship wasn't going anywhere, so he decided to end it so he could pursue other options."
Following the London Olympics, Phelps said he would retire from swimming and his next big endeavor will be the Golf Channel's Haney Project. Phelps is known as an avid golfer and will work with Haney on his game during the show.
"I have traveled the world through swimming, but really haven't had an opportunity to experience the world through my travels," Phelps has said. "As I enter this next chapter of my life, I think I will be able to shift my competitiveness to anything I put my mind to and golf is one of the things I want to focus on."
During his retirement, Phelps has said that he will concentrate on growing American swimming and working with philanthropic endeavors, including the Michael Phelps Foundation.
The Olympian also went international in January, as the 27-year-old posed for this month's GQ Italia, posing in a tailored suit as well as in his bathing suit.
CLICK HERE for some pictures of the photo spread in GQ Italia.
