NBA star Curry to tee it up in tourney

STEPHEN Curry, a two-time 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.

“I want to make the cut, of course,” Curry said after a practice round at Stonebrae Golf Club in Northern California yesterday.

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

Curry acknowledged that to finish 36 holes at three-under, “I’ll 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 pros he’ll 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 alongside defending champion Stephan Jaeger, who fired the first 58 recorded in a US professional tournament when he went 12-under in the firstround last year.

But Curry, who was invited by organizers 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.”

Curry came fourth in last month’s American Century Championship pro-am. It’s not the first time Ellie Mae Classic officials have offered an invite to one of the Bay Area’s biggest sports figures.

Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice made three appearances in the event.