Driving the ball tougher ask than shooting: Curry

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will be hoping to make tomorrow's cut at the Ellie Mae Classic event on the Web.com Tour, the developmental tour for the PGA Tour.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will be hoping to make tomorrow's cut at the Ellie Mae Classic event on the Web.com Tour, the developmental tour for the PGA Tour. PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES • Stephen Curry, a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player and two-time champion with the Golden State Warriors, has a relatively modest goal when he tees it up on the Web.com golf Tour tomorrow.

"I want to make the cut, of course," Curry said after a practice round at Stonebrae Golf Club in Northern California on Tuesday.

The cut in last year's Ellie Mae Classic, part of the Web.com Tour that is the talent pipeline to the PGA Tour, was three-under.

Curry acknowledged that to finish 36 holes at three-under, he will have to play "probably the best two rounds of golf of my life".

But he added: "Why not take advantage of the opportunity I've got right now?"

Known for his long-range shooting touch on the NBA court, the talented amateur golfer admitted he was nowhere near matching the distance of the professionals he will be facing.

"Most of the courses I play, I'm not playing their yardages and I don't hit as many drivers off the tee," he said.

"So I just have to get comfortable with hitting the driver a lot more."

Curry will be playing on Thursday alongside defending champion Stephan Jager of Germany, who fired the first 58 recorded in a US professional tournament when he went 12-under in the first round last year.

But Curry, who was invited by organisers to play the event back in June - during the Warriors' triumphant NBA Finals run over the Cleveland Cavaliers - was looking forward to the challenge.

"It's my one week to try it," he said. "Because I don't know if I'll ever do this again."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2017, with the headline Driving the ball tougher ask than shooting: Curry. Subscribe