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‘I can shave off 11 shots:’ Steph Curry confident heading into second Web.com tour start

August 8, 2018

Golden State Warrior’s star Steph Curry silenced a lot of skeptics with his strong pro golf debut last year. He thinks he can do even better this year. A lot better.

This week the three-time NBA champion is set to make his second consecutive start at the Web.com tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. Curry had a chorus of doubters this time last year, likely due to the past struggles of over-confident athletes who thought they could hack it with pro golfers (see: Jerry Rice, Tony Romo).

But Curry went out and showed that he wasn’t just talk, shooting 74-74 and surpassing even the most generous expert predictions. His stated goal was to make the cut, which he failed to do, but he was impressive nonetheless. The Web.com tour is full of outstanding players dripping in talent, and little separates them from the well-known stars of the PGA Tour.

Steph Curry, 2017 Ellie Mae Classic on Web.com Tour
Stephen Curry waits to play his shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic.

This year, Curry thinks he can best his score by as much as 11 shots, the same amount he missed the cut by last year.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Curry talked to reporters on Tuesday about takeaways from last year, and how they dictated his goals for attempt No. 2:

“I went back and thought, ‘Where can I shave off those 11 shots this year?’ Stay away from double bogeys: I think I had two of those last year. I had a penalty shot on one of the par-5s. Little things like that I think about as a true golf nut. Now whether I can execute that is another question. But I feel like I can shave off 11 shots. Who knows what the cut will be this year? That’s my goal, try to execute the game plan.”

That last remark is a line stolen straight from the mouths of almost every Tour pro: forget the other players’ scores and stick to the game plan. Given the fact that he now has experience to lean on, it’s not crazy to imagine the NBA star from reaching his goal and playing the weekend.

Curry begins his quest in the first round Thursday at 12:06 p.m. ET at Stonebrae.

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