Trey Wingo has had his share of run-ins with the sports elite during his 23-year career at ESPN.
But as he told GOLF’s Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on this week’s podcast, there comes a time when star power is unparalleled.
Wingo began by explaining that many of his feuds involved his former ESPN colleague, the late Stuart Scott, because “Stewart knew everyone.”
Wingo was staying at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta during the 2003 NBA All-Star Game when he received a text from Scott.
“Hey, come on down,” the text message said. “I’m having lunch with someone you might want to hang out with.”
This person is none other than Tiger Woods.
“[I] “Walked into a diner, and in the back booth, Stewart and I took our turn, and Tiger was having lunch with Stewart,” Wingo said. “I was like the biggest — from the moment Tiger showed up, I was like, this guy just got it. I have a whole file on my computer of all the awards he’s received and all the games he’s won, 82 games total. I was like the geek.”
“I thought, ‘Oh, hey.’
“Tiger looked up and said, ‘Hey, Trey.'”
Wingo is like all of us. He lost all memory of how to act.
Woods could only stay for about 20 minutes, and Scott left shortly after. So Wingo did what any of us would do in this situation: He ran outside and called his dad.
“I was about to make a call on my old flip phone and the elevator opened at the Ritz in Atlanta,” Wingo said. “Like an idiot, I didn’t wait and barged in because I wasn’t thinking right. I thought, I have to tell my dad that I just had lunch with Tiger Woods. This is awesome.
“The elevator opened up – it was NBA All-Star weekend – and as soon as I walked in, I hit this wall of people. It was so solid. I looked up and he said, ‘Wingo, watch where you’re going.'”
That’s Michael Jordan.
“I thought, ‘Michael, I’m sorry, this is my fault. It’s my fault.’ So I had lunch with Tiger, texted, and then met Michael Jordan,” he said. “The time span between Tiger and MJ was only 15 minutes. I was like, yeah, I could die today. “
For more on Wingo, including the story of the golf slip that nearly ruined his career, listen to the full episode of “Subpar” here or watch below.
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