AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 2024

DJ Khaled

Jimmy Fallon

Edgewood Tahoe

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: It started with a few words, I think "I can beat him," a boast that kicked off a competition. Jimmy Fallon challenged DJ Khaled to a gentlemanly game of golf and the rivalry was born, and now it's the moment we've all been waiting for, Jimmy Fallon versus the man from Miami himself, DJ Khaled!

(Fallon and Khaled arrive for a face-off)

DJ KHALED: Notice I didn't blink.

JIMMY FALLON: I'm going to leave it on (adjusting sunglasses).

DJ KHALED: I'm a gentleman. I'll see you soon.

MULTIPLE QUESTIONS FROM PRESS: DJ, you going to jump in the lake if you win? Jimmy, when are you going to play in the tournament for real? Is it going to be another one? Jimmy, do you even look good in red? Jimmy, you going to ace it? Khaled, nice shoes!

DJ KHALED: Thank you.

JIMMY FALLON: You're reliving your time.

DJ KHALED: I'm living life. Every day is a blessing and every day is an opportunity to be great. And just represents the world with love and blessings. And to have this opportunity to play golf at one of the most incredible golf courses in the world.

JIMMY FALLON: Yeah.

DJ KHALED: With this incredible view alongside Jimmy Fallon is always a blessin'.

And before we start this press conference, I want to shake your hand, brother, because I really love you.

JIMMY FALLON: I love you right back.

DJ KHALED: When we get on that golf course, though --

(Laughter).

JIMMY FALLON: Yeah, we'll see. We'll see what's up, exactly. You know, again props to Edgewood and everyone here in Tahoe and the American Century Championship. This is cool for giving us this opportunity.

I should probably let you know how this kind of started.

I've been talking to Jon Miller at NBC trying to do something with golf for a long time. I love golf. We always want to do something. NBC does a great job. This is one of the biggest weekends in golf out here at Lake Tahoe at Edgewood, American Century Championship. It's always great.

And even though I've never been invited, it's fine. I'm happy to be here.

(Laughter).

DJ KHALED: Same here. I was confused because, like, when Fallon -- not to cut you off or anything.

JIMMY FALLON: No, never.

DJ KHALED: When Fallon hit me up and called me out on the Fallon show, with trillions of people watching, you know, I had no choice to represent, but I've always been a fan of this weekend.

JIMMY FALLON: Yeah.

DJ KHALED: Right? And when I knew it was coming, are we going to play also with the other guys, because they need to get to work too. But you know what? Me and you we don't do nothing regular degular.

And I think this Cardigan Classic is going to be one of the biggest golf classics I think -- I don't think, I know history will be made.

JIMMY FALLON: Yeah, we came up with the idea. It's called The Cardigan Classic. That's what we're going to call it. The winner gets a red cardigan. There's been other prizes out there in the golf world, which is a green blazer. This is a red cardigan.

DJ KHALED: That's right, Cardigan Classic.

JIMMY FALLON: The Cardigan Classic. This is the first ever Cardigan Classic. We've both been fitted.

(Applause)

Standing ovation. This is amazing.

Q. D.J., it's clear you love the game of golf. Who or what sparked that passion in you?

DJ KHALED: I mean, I've always loved golf when I was a teenager. My friend used to live on a golf course. So we used to mess around, jump golf course over the bunkers and hit, swing balls, just for fun.

And I always knew I had a nice swing and then later on, in life, you know what I'm saying, I knew I was going to get to it, but I had to live my dream to be a music producer, a D.J., a father and just an entrepreneur.

JIMMY FALLON: One of the best ever to do it ever, I will say, pioneer, pioneer.

DJ KHALED: Thank you, brother.

(Applause)

And then the pandemic came and I started playing golf every day with my brother, Reggie Saunders, from Team Jordan, Michael Jordan, and my neighbors -- shout-out to Bob and Mike and Mark Wahlberg -- and Jamie LaFrak, everybody. We were playing golf every single day nonstop.

And you know what happens. You catch the bug and then it turned into where this is what I want to do every day. So it's part of my lifestyle. It's part of my schedule. It makes me happy.

Life is like golf. It's not easy, but it's beautiful.

(Laughter)

Q. Jimmy, what can we expect to see on Saturday at the four-hole match?

JIMMY FALLON: It's a four-hole shootout. We're still figuring it out. That's how fresh and new the idea is. The patches are being embroidered on the cardigans as we speak, like for real they are.

It's a four-hole shootout. What we're thinking the two most beautiful holes on the course is the 17th and 18th. You've got a great crowd there. So we're going to be in front of all the people, pressure's on. Par 3, par-5, no handicap. Just shooting out.

And I think we asked permission, and I don't know if anyone said yes yet but we're not going to wait for an answer. We want to walk with the public on the way up to the green on the 18th hole.

DJ KHALED: Yeah, it gotta happen.

JIMMY FALLON: Put the ropes down and we want everyone to walk with us, like old school, like Arnold Palmer, like Tiger Woods.

DJ KHALED: I'll be real with you, it's going to happen either way. I think the people -- because me just walking to the press conference, the fans, they are so excited about this.

JIMMY FALLON: I know. I walked with you. They kept yelling "Jimmy, Jimmy."

DJ KHALED: No, they kept saying, "I got the money on Khaled." It's all love.

JIMMY FALLON: People are already gambling on this.

DJ KHALED: No, where I come from, they, it's already -- listen, there's so many brown paper bags going on out there.

JIMMY FALLON: You told me to bring two bags.

DJ KHALED: I told Jimmy -- sorry before you ask the next question -- I told Jimmy to bring two bags, a golf bag and a big brown paper bag. But now let me tell you about the brown paper bag. There's two bags. There's two different type of brown paper bags, I didn't mention.

JIMMY FALLON: Okay.

DJ KHALED: One is the brown paper bag with stacks of, you know, we love them crispy hundreds, whatever. But there's also a brown paper bag called "The give-back bag."

Now, the brown paper bag "Give-back bag," you know what we mean -- you always do -- is to give back to the community, to the charity to the kids, to different foundations.

That's what I love about golf, too, because you can have fun, but let's keep it real. When you're with the fellas and your brothers and sisters and you're playing golf, you gotta be competitive on the golf course, laugh, have fun. You hit some good strokes. You don't hit some.

But either way, you know, we've got to be competitive and see who wins each match every day, that's how I play golf.

So I say the brown bag we call it the "give-back bag," meaning let's give it back to the people.

JIMMY FALLON: I will do that. I think also I've been looking on Instagram -- obviously I love to golf. I've been watching on the socials. I follow you -- you're a great follower, anybody who follows DJ Khaled, it's great. You can't take your eyes off you.

I was just watching you love to golf, love to golf, and I looked at your game, and I go, wow, this guy's amazing, but I think I could take him.

DJ KHALED: Fallon, I love that confidence, because that's how I feel, too. You know what I like about golf -- and all the golfers out there probably feel the same way I feel -- you know, I don't care if you're the best golfer in the world or you're an amateur, we all have the same rule when you go on that golf course. We're all perfecting our game to be the best, right?

I play with pros. I play with amateurs. I play with people that don't play golf. I play with scratch players. I play with them all, right? But what I learned about the game, as long as you get to the green -- when you get to the green and you meet the player you're playing with on the green, around the same time, we all in the same level.

But I'm going to be real with you, I want to go pro.

THE MODERATOR: We're going to see you go pro tomorrow afternoon immediately following the third round at Edgewood Tahoe.