PGA

Forget coming back from a 2-year baseball career to win an NBA championship ... Michael Jordan says Tiger Woods' Masters victory last weekend is the greatest comeback of all-time!!!

"He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit," M.J. told The Athletic ... "To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."

Of course, Michael knows a thing or two about comebacks ... he ended a 2-year MLB career to return to the hardwood to win 3 straight NBA titles in the 1990s.

But, even Jordan admits that can't compare to what Tiger did this past weekend ... returning from all kinds of injuries and off-the-course issues to be the best golfer in the world again.

"I never thought he’d get back physically,” Jordan said ... “He didn’t think he’d get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now."

M.J. added, "He’s probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that’s a major accomplishment. To me, it’s unbelievable."

Jordan ain't the only one feeling that way ... everyone from Donald Trump to Tom Brady to Michael Phelps commented on their amazement over TW's 15th major championship win.

As for the debate between who's the greatest athlete of all time between Tiger and Jordan ... we actually asked Scottie Pippen that this week -- and you'll wanna hear his answer ...

The greatest swimmer of all-time wants Tiger Woods to become the greatest golfer of all-time ... 'cause Michael Phelps tells TMZ Sports he wants TW to catch Jack Nicklaus' majors record!!!

"I hope he gets to 18," Phelps says ... "I'll say that."

Of course, Phelps famously had a front-row seat to watch Tiger's historic 15th major win at the Masters this past weekend -- which left Tiger just 3 short of Nicklaus' 18 mark.

And, after seeing all that up close ... Michael seems to think it's very possible Tiger catches Nicklaus soon -- 'cause he's proclaiming Woods has officially returned to old Tiger form.

"Tiger's back," Phelps said out in New York on Wednesday ... "That's all I gotta say. He's back."

Good news for Phelps and El Tigre? We spoke with golf legend John Daly this week ... and he says he knows for a fact Tiger WILL break Nicklaus' record!!!

Not many people know what it's like to balance parenthood with global mega-fame -- but Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake do ... and JT says it's brought them closer together.

In fact, Timberlake just wrote about his friendship with Tiger for Time Magazine -- explaining how the two got to spend some time together last year and really bonded by "talking about being fathers."

Tiger has two kids -- 10 and 11 -- and JT has a 4-year-old son.

"We bonded over the fact that we wanted our children to watch us at our best," Timberlake wrote ... noting that his 4-year-old has just "started to realize what I do."

The coolest part of Justin's story -- Timberlake says in 2018 Tiger told him one of his biggest life goals was to win a major in front of his kids.

Fast forward to April 14 in Augusta ... Tiger wins The Masters and his kids are RIGHT THERE to give him a big 'ol hug.

Timberlake says he couldn't have been happier for his friend -- "What a dream come true."

"All the work he did when people weren't watching allowed him to hug his children on that same hallowed ground he hugged his father 22 years ago, amid all the adulation, a Masters champion once again."

Justin and Tiger have known each other for years and have golfed together a bunch of times.

Tiger has gone on the record praising JT's golf game -- saying the guy has a "beautiful swing" ... but needs to work on his short game if he REALLY wants to get to the next level.

John Daly tells TMZ Sports he KNOWS Tiger Woods is gonna break Jack Nicklaus' all-time major championships record ... saying, straight-up, it's fate.

"I not only think, I know he will," Daly tells us ... "It's just destiny."

Daly says like the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the Boston Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino ... it's just bound to happen that Tiger passes Jack's 18 majors mark.

Of course, Tiger is only 3 shy of tying that record after his legendary Masters performance this past weekend ... but some are still wondering if Tiger can repeat that feat FOUR more times.

Daly certainly thinks so, saying, "I never thought he was gone ... I still feel like he's going to win Nicklaus' records and I've always believed in him."

As for if Tiger's historic comeback has Daly envisioning a comeback of his own ... John says not right now -- saying his knee is still pretty messed up after recent surgery.

By the way, Daly also tells us he has no issues with Donald Trump giving Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- saying, "Tiger definitely deserves it."

President Donald Trump was so impressed with Tiger Woods amazing performance at The Masters -- he's giving the golfer the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Medal is the highest award that can be awarded to a civilian in the United States and has previous recipients include Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pope John Paul II, Bob Hope and more.

According to the White House, the Medal "recognizes those individuals who have made 'an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.'"

In his announcement (read: tweet), Trump said, "Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!"

Trump and Tiger have been friends for years -- Tiger recently golfed with the President back in February at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida.

Of course, Tiger's victory wasn't just impressive on its own -- but is being hailed as one of the greatest professional comebacks in all of pro sports considering he hadn't won a Major in over 10 years.

What's more interesting than watching Tiger Woods lock up a historic win at The Masters??

GOLF WITH THE PRESIDENT ... at least, that was the case for Dallas Cowboys legends Emmitt Smith and Tony Romo, who bailed on watching Tiger to play 18 with Barack Obama!!

It all went down somewhere in Texas this weekend ... when Emmitt, Romo, Barack and former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk hit the links for a round of golf.

Unclear who in the foursome took the win ... but odds favor Tony -- who's so good, he's set to play in next month's AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament with PGA pros.

As for ditching El Tigre ... don't worry -- seems the guys made it back in time to catch his unbelievable Masters victory, with Obama personally congratulating the golf legend.

"To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination."

This is pretty cool ... Chris Paul was so proud of his pal, Tiger Woods, for winning the Masters on Sunday, he honored his friend with a pair of custom Tiger-themed kicks!!

Chris and the Houston Rockets took on the Utah Jazz after Tiger's comeback -- so, Paul decided to make a few alterations to his red CP3.12s to pay homage to the golfer.

BTW, Chris and Tiger have been friends for years -- with Chris previously crediting Woods with getting him into golf in the first place.

They've been spotted on various courses together several times in the past.

As for Paul, he won too -- the Rockets smashed the Jazz 122 to 90.

Unclear who actually crafted the custom Tiger shoes. We're looking into it.

Here's the most insane golf shot you'll EVER see ... Jordan Spieth skipped a ball SEVEN times over the water in a pond -- and landed it within 10 feet from the hole!

It all went down Wednesday at The Par 3 Contest -- the prelude to this weekend's Masters tournament -- where pros are known to take it easy before they tee it up for real on Thursday at Augusta.

Jordan decided to put on a little show for fans ... heading down to the water for one of his tee shots -- and hitting a shot that required the ball to skip across the pond's water.

The golf ball took seven big hops along the surface of the water ... landed on the green ... and miraculously rolled about 10 feet from the pin!!

What's even crazier ... HIS SHOT ENDED UP CLOSER THAN THE OTHER TWO NON-TRICK SHOT TEE SHOTS!!!!!!

Spieth is one of the sport's biggest superstars -- he's a 16/1 favorite to win the green jacket this weekend -- so, not too surprising he's able to do something like this with a golf ball.

Wanna see a ridiculous farmer's tan???

Good ... 'cause PGA Tour pro Drew Nesbitt stripped down for a golf shot Friday -- and dude has CLEARLY spent way too much time in the sun with his shirt on.

The partial nudity all went down on the Par-4, 6th hole of this week's Honda Classic in Florida ... when Nesbitt's drive off the tee leaked left and tumbled into the water.

Fortunately for Drew -- and fans of farmer's tans everywhere -- his ball was still technically in play ... so he ditched his shirt, rolled up his pants and smacked it outta the water.

The shot ended up pretty good ... and Drew was able to save par.

The whole ordeal actually ended up being worth it for Nesbitt ... the clutch water save helped him make this weekend's cut -- so he's got two more rounds of golf to play this weekend.

Imagine you're in line at In-N-Out ... about to order a delicious double-double with fries and a shake -- and all of a sudden, you get a call from Donald Trump!!!

DO YOU GET OUT OF LINE?!

That's exactly what happened to PGA Tour pro Pat Perez during Trump's presidential campaign -- and you bet your sweet ass he took that call!!! Here's how Pat's wife, Ashley, describes it:

"So [Trump's] assistant was like, 'Mr. Perez, Donald Trump would like to speak to you. Are you available?' And he's like, 'SH*T YES! I'm available!'"

Turns out, Perez -- who has 3 PGA Tour wins under his belt -- is a HUGE Trump supporter and while they've hung out in person before, they've never golfed together.

"I'd love to play with him," Perez told us while smokin' ciggies outside Craig's with Ashley ... "I'd love to get that chance."

So, why the passion for Trump?

Tony Romo ... Romostrodamus ... Tiger Romo??!?!

It might just stick ... 'cause the ex-Dallas Cowboys QB-turned-superstar-broadcaster just hit the most INSANE golf shot you'll ever see an amateur hit!!!

Romo's playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week ... and smacked his tee shot Friday at the Par-4 15th hole into the course's hospitality tent.

Normally, players get relief -- take a drop ... and hit their shot from actual grass.

But, Romo had different ideas -- and decided to take his wedge out ... AND HIT THE SHOT FROM THE TENT'S CARPET!!!

What happened next was just absurd -- HE STUFFED THE BALL WITHIN A FOOT OF THE HOLE!!!

Romo tapped in for a birdie ... and NOBODY could believe what they just saw.

Buncha old PGA golfers trying to do young people stuff -- this time, they're recreating the celebration dances from Fortnite.

Are they terrible at it? Yes.

Are they trying really hard? Yeah, sure.

Guys like 59-year-old Tom Lehman and 61-year-old Bernhard Langer gave it their best shot before heading into the final event of the PGA Tour Champions season.

They're all really good golfers -- but the dancing needs work.

It's almost like if your favorite Fortnite character suddenly got arthritis and was considering a reverse mortgage loan.

Meanwhile, the guys are all gearing up for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship which goes down at the Phoenix Country Club.

Langer is currently the points leader and gunning for his 4th Schwab Cup in 5 years.

Chicks. DUI. Chicks. Injuries. Chicks. Donald Trump. Chicks. Chicks. Chicks.

Tiger Woods has had A LOT of drama over the years ... but Common says he's incredibly proud of the guy for fighting through it all and finally WINNING again!

"Tiger, we happy for that brother," Common told us outside Delilah in L.A.

"It's something when you go through some stuff and we all recognize that and honor that."

In fact, the hip-hop legend seems to think Woods will have even more success in the future -- and says everything he's been through (a whole Hooters, basically) will make him stronger.

The links wasn't the only place Tiger won. He shook hands with Big Boi from Outkast and shocked the entire Internet -- watch below and you'll be amazed too.

Two of the greatest winners in pro sports couldn't pull it off today ... with Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods LOSING a PGA Pro-Am to a team led by Phil Mickelson.

Tiger and Peyton (and 2 other guys) were teamed up at The Memorial Pro-Am Tournament in Dublin, Ohio on Wednesday ... where they faced off with Phil's foursome.

PGA officials tell us ... Tiger's team finished 2 under par -- while Phil's team finished 7 under.

Still, both Tiger and Peyton hit some pretty decent shots during the tourney ... and Tiger even gave away one of his golf balls to a little girl in the crowd!

Saquon Barkley has a problem that only Tiger Woods can fix -- he sucks at golf.

Well, maybe "sucks" is a strong word ... but the NY Giants stud rookie running back knows he needs a lot of help on the links and thinks Tiger is just the man for the job.

You've probably seen the pics of Barkley on the course ... dude looks like a monster with a club -- and he's revealing his new nickname, "Thigh-ger Woods."

"I need some lessons," Barkley joked to TMZ Sports ... "I need more than some lessons!"

There's more ... Barkley -- who just became a first-time dad -- also talked about being a parent.

But between changing diapers and training with the Giants ... good luck finding time to golf!!!

PGA star Bubba Watson says President Trump will get crushed if they ever play golf again, because Bubba gives NO ONE -- and he means NO ONE -- a free ride on the links, even the Commander-in-Chief.

We got Bubba out in NYC and asked if he ever played with Trump, which he told our guy he did ... way BEFORE Trump moved into the White House.

"2006. I met him on his gold course and played a couple holes with him."

We had to ask Bubba, now that Trump's the top man, do you maybe drop a few holes so the leader of the free world feels good about himself?

"No, I would never let him win. If he beats me he beats me. No not at all, 'cause then I could tell everybody I beat the President."