‘He beat me’: This pro says Steph Curry was already a stud golfer in college

You know those guys who are professional athletes in one sport, which takes years of practice and mastery, but then are also stupidly good at another one?

Steph Curry defines that.

The Golden State Warriors point guard is one of the best, arguably the best, players in the NBA, and he can also bring it on the golf course as well. Curry currently sports a +1.3 index playing out of the prestigious Cal Club and has been very involved in the game, from appearing at celebrity events and the Match III to even making Korn Ferry Tour starts in 2017 and 2018.

Turns out his golf skills didn’t just take shape when he got to the NBA. He was already a pretty good stick while he was in college at Davidson.

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On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, PGA Tour rookie Will Gordon, who grew up in Davidson, N.C., told co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that he played with Curry “10 or 12 times” when Gordon was still in grade school.

“And the last time, he beat me,” Gordon, who finished T3 at the World Wide Technology Championship in November, said. “I was probably 14 or 15. I think I shot like 76 and Steph shot even. And then that was the end of that.”

Gordon, who’s now 26, spent a lot of time in his early teenage years with Curry while the latter was setting NCAA records for three-point shooting. His parents were close with members of the coaching staff at Davidson and his family even hosted three different players during semester breaks who lived abroad.

“When Steph came, it was a really cool experience just to watch because games went from, you know, 50% capacity to people scalping tickets outside,” Gordon said.

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While the pair haven’t been in constant contact since Curry went off to the NBA after his junior season at Davidson, they still interact from time to time.

“Nobody knew where he was going to go at that point. And it’s been inspiring for me,” Gordon said. “I mean, we don’t talk or anything on an individual basis, but he got all my family tickets for Christmas Day last year here in Phoenix. Like it’s just an inspiration more than anything.”

For more from Gordon, including how he wants to improve his game and his first-hand account of Cameron Champ’s power, check out the full episode of GOLF Supar below.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.