By Alex Myers
After winning back-to-back NBA titles, Stephen Curry will make it back-to-back starts at the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic. The Golden State Warriors star announced on Monday he has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to tee it up in the San Francisco Bay-area event again on Aug. 9-12 after an impressive debut last year.

Curry shot a pair of 74s at TPC Stonebrae in 2017. He missed the cut by 11 shots and finished tied for 148th in the 156-man field, but drew praise from many for his effort.

“The players on the Web.com Tour welcomed me with open arms in 2017, and it was an amazing experience to play with up-and-coming PGA TOUR stars inside the ropes at TPC Stonebrae,” Curry said in a statement issued on Monday. “I have been fortunate to be a member of an incredible team in the Golden State Warriors, and I was elated to feel that same level of camaraderie onsite last year. Golf is a game that has provided wonderful experiences in my life, and I am excited to return to the Ellie Mae Classic in August.”

Curry has been keeping his game sharp — even during the NBA Finals in June. While the Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, Curry posted three scores to the USGA’s GHIN system. He is currently listed with a 0.0 handicap index, although he’s been as low as a plus-1.2.

It’s been a big year for celebrity golfers already with Tony Romo making his PGA Tour debut in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, where he shot 77-82 to miss the cut and finish in last place. Romo has since won a Wisconsin amateur tournament by nine shots and the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. Curry, who, like Romo, plays as an amateur, finished a disappointing T-11 in the tournament and jumped into Lake Tahoe after losing a bet to his dad. A celebratory leap into the San Francisco Bay, however, will be in order if he can somehow make the cut.

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The post Stephen Curry will play in Web.com Tour event for second straight year appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Playing on an unrestricted exemption at the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic, the two-time league MVP acquitted himself well on Thursday with a four-over-par 74 at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif. Curry’s performance exceeded the expectations of most observers and impressed the PGA Tour’s top players competing this week in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

“That’s a good score. Very impressive,” said former World No. 1 and Masters champion Adam Scott. “There aren’t any pro golfers shooting 74 going into an NBA game, that’s for sure.”

RELATED: Watch highlights of Stephen Curry’s impressive Web.com Tour debut

The decision by tournament officials to grant the exemption to Curry, an all-star guard for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, drew both criticism and kudos. Those in support argued it would bring more attention to the game, while critics said he was taking a spot from an aspiring professional. That brought even greater scrutiny to Curry, but he responded with a respectable round.

“To play that well with the kind of pressure he must have been under is very impressive. It’s cool what he did,” said Rickie Fowler. “I’ve never been thrown in a situation where I’ve had to perform at the highest level — or one of the highest levels — competing in another sport. There may be a couple of athletes on the PGA Tour, maybe Dustin Johnson or Gary Woodland, who could look athletic on a basketball court, but they aren’t going to play to the level that he did as a golfer.”

Zach Johnson said he could see both sides. “I’ve heard both sides of it. Is he taking a — I don’t know, I don’t know if he’s taking a spot. Is he taking a spot to a guy that potentially could use that down the road? I don’t have any idea, I don’t know how that crunches. But I also see the positive in that a brings a pretty awesome light to the tournament, which brings huge light to the charities, the sales. There’s definitely a lot of positives there, too. And it’s one guy, one week. My assumption wouldn’t be every year, but I don’t fault him. It’s not his fault they offered it to him.”

Johnson also acknowledged that he expected worse than a 74 from Curry, though he accurately predicted that he would miss the cut. “I probably would have lost money if you would have said he was going to shoot four over the first day,” he said. “I probably would have. I’m not a betting guy, but if I were to bet, I would say he’s probably going to miss the cut, you know?”

Bill Haas, meanwhile, was intrigued., “His dad [Del Curry] was actually my favorite player growing up,” Haas, a North Carolina native and Charlotte Hornets fan, said “He liked to shoot it and I liked to shoot it, so I’ve been a fan of their family for a long time. It was news to me he was getting a start so it was fun to see him playing. I’d seen some stats about other athletes who had not done well in a similar situation scoring-wise … the average was like 79, so for him to shoot 4 over is really good. If I was to try to lace them up I would look like a 100 shooter by comparison on the basketball court. This is the only sport where something like this can happen.”

Haas said he made a point to look up Curry’s round. Paul Casey, likewise, was intrigued enough to check out the Web.com Tour scores.

“I looked it up. It’s very cool what he did,” Casey said. “I was asked yesterday if I thought he could break 80. That’s a hand grenade question. But whatever he shot, he hit it good, under pressure, really good. I heard he was a good golfer.

“And it’s good for golf. People are talking about the sport. I thought it was brilliant to get people talking about the game and help grow the game.”

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Shortly after helping to lead the Golden State Warriors to a second NBA title in three seasons, Curry accepted a sponsor’s invitation to play in this week’s Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic. The decision sparked a big debate over whether Curry should take a spot in an actual tournament, but the two-time NBA MVP proved a lot of doubters wrong with an impressive opening round of 74 on Thursday.

Before he teed off in his first round, sportsbooks listed Curry as +900 (A $100 wager would win you $900) to make the cut and -2500 (Risking $2,500 to win $100) to miss the cut. The over/under for his high score for the tournament was set at 79.5 (TPC Stonebrae is a par 70) and for his low score at 76.5. If you bet on the latter, congratulations. Although you might have a gambling problem.

And if you bet on Curry sticking around for the weekend, you’re crazy, but at least you’re not totally out of it. When Curry concluded his round, he was tied for 140th in the field of 156. Not too shabby considering he’s competing against guys who do this for a living.

After a sluggish start of three bogeys in his first five holes — including a yanked opening tee shot that ended up in the cup holder of a golf cart — Curry got going with his first birdie on TPC Stonebrae’s 16th (his sixth hole of the day):

The first birdie of @StephenCurry30's #WebTour career. ? pic.twitter.com/8ZDFcaRim0

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 3, 2017

Then a par save on No. 18 (his ninth hole of the day) that produced a first big fist pump:

“He’s putting on a show!” ?@StephenCurry saves an unlikely par at the 18th @EllieMaeClassic.

He’s +2 thru nine holes. pic.twitter.com/cd5FZDTwcZ

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 3, 2017

Come on @stephencurry30 time to drop some 3’s on that card… ???

A post shared by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on Aug 3, 2017 at 10:30am PDT

@StephenCurry30 turning in +2 is one of the purest things I've ever seen!

— Willy Wilcox (@willwilcoxgolf) August 3, 2017

https://twitter.com/JustinThomas34/status/893226220367876096

.@StephenCurry30 making 3 birdies and shooting +4 is super impressive. Great golfer but things can be tougher inside the ropes. Well done

— Ben Crane (@bencranegolf) August 3, 2017

Playing partner Stephen Jaeger said he was impressed with Curry’s game, especially his touch around the greens. He was also happy to get a chance to play in front of so many fans.

“Sam and I are going to be on the PGA Tour next year, so for us, it’s a great experience,” Jaeger said.

Curry has a 2:15 ET tee time for Friday afternoon.

“I want to play better tomorrow,” Curry said. “And now that I’ve gotten the jitters out, hopefully, that will happen.”

The post Watch highlights of Stephen Curry’s impressive Web.com Tour debut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall

Given the current news climate, the San Francisco Chronicle’s post that Steph Curry was accepting a Web.com Tour sponsor exemption seemed innocuous, more of a celebrated press release than a report. It’s quickly snowballed into anything but.

Within minutes of the basketball star’s participation at the Ellie Mae Classic hitting the wire, the Twitter takes were passionate and plentiful:

Steph Curry, a 2.2 handicap, is getting a sponsor's exemption into a Web event. So many great players could use that chance. Sad

— Lee McCoy (@LeeMcCoyGolf) June 28, 2017

Steph curry does not need to play in any web tournaments, he has a job that pays well already. He takes a spot away from one of us joining.

— Joseph (@Angler_nation89) June 28, 2017

Steph Curry playing in a WEB Event is going to be awesome. People don't realize how good these WEB players are. Curry will get killed.

— jaebberwock (@jaebberwock) June 28, 2017

https://twitter.com/jayham63/status/880064871043178497

Lol.. Steph Curry trying to play professional golf now? ?
Good luck bro.

— John Edgin ♛ (@edgin_john) June 28, 2017

https://twitter.com/ghostofhogan/status/880091064450695173

And those are just the PG-rated responses.

Make no mistake, Curry can hold his own as a golfer. Conversely, other athletes that are better hackers than the NBA star — most notably, John Smoltz and Jerry Rice — had disastrous results in their attempts to crack the game’s professional ranks. To think a different fortune awaits Curry is delusional.

Yet, this doesn’t discredit his invite. One of the intentions behind sponsor’s exemptions, particularly at the minor-league level, is to drum up interest for the event. In that regard, this move is an unmitigated success: a Web.com Tour stop asserting itself into national discussion, to say nothing of the attendance Curry’s presence will bring.

Moreover, though this exemption sometimes translates to an opportunity for an up-and-coming talent or the best player not in the field, it often manifests in a tournament giving a spot to a local, hoping to appease the hometown fans. Or worse, as Golf.com’sGary Van Sickle pointed out, it’s often who you know — rather than what you’ve done — that earns a sponsor’s exemption.

That includes Lee McCoy, who’s been particularly vocal against Curry’s inclusion. For the former Georgia Bulldog’s highlight of his fledgling career was spurred by an invite to the 2016 Valspar Championship because, well, he grew up at Innisbrook. He ultimately proved his mettle, finishing T-4 as an amateur. However, a lot of viable, established tour veterans sat at home that week, and though McCoy may ultimately become a presence at golf’s top level, he’s failed to produce anything of note at the tour outside Copperhead.

This is not to pick on McCoy (especially accounting for his off-the-course injury), and he boasts an exponentially-better golf pedigree than Curry. But, while golf is the ultimate meritocracy, the philosophy is not found in every aspect of the game. No matter the circuit, each event simply won’t have the best x-amount of players in its field. Hell, a fourth of Masters’ competitors don’t have a shot at the green jacket, and that tournament seems to be doing just fine.

So call Curry’s exemption a publicity stunt all you want. Just don’t act like it’s an aberration.

The post Steph Curry’s Web.com Tour exemption is drawing criticism. Is it warranted? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In an interview with David Feherty, hoops star and golf fanatic Steph Curry admitted his aspirations of a PGA Tour run after his basketball career.

“I’ve thought about it,” Curry said on Feherty. “I’m very sensitive to the experience of the PGA Tour guys out there who have dedicated their life to what they do, just like I have with basketball. I don’t think I could, obviously, just jump out there; It’d be a lot of work that would go into it.”

Looks like the reigning NBA champion is starting that endeavor sooner than expected.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Curry has accepted an invite to play in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic.

“When I found out I was getting a sponsor exemption, I had a lot of emotions because I love to play golf; it’s a passion of mine,” Curry says in a pre-recorded message set to be released Wednesday morning, according to the Chronicle. “But to be able to play against the next and best golf professionals will be a huge honor and huge treat.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully not embarrassing myself, but mostly having a lot of fun and hopefully raising a lot of money for the foundation…I’m going to try to keep it in the fairway.”

Curry’s a solid player, once boasting a 0.6 handicap (now up to 2.2). And he’ll undoubtedly have the support of the galleries, as the tournament will be played in the Warriors’ backyard at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California.

That said, other athletes — far better golfers than Curry — have attempted professional golf ventures in the past, mostly to disastrous results. John Smoltz, who once boasted a plus-2 handicap, played in a 2011 Nationwide Tour event. It did not go well, firing a first-round 84. Same with Jerry Rice, who has played at the Ellie Mae three times. In those outings, the Hall of Fame wideout posted second-to-last and last-place finishes, along with a WD.

Nevertheless, Curry’s presence will inject some much-needed publicity to the developmental tour. And though it may draw criticism as a publicity stunt, after completing the winningest three-season stretch in NBA history, Curry can do whatever he damn well pleases in the Bay Area.

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