Steph Curry on Web.com Tour: Highlights from Thursday at 2017 Ellie Mae Classic
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Steph Curry on Web.com Tour: Highlights from Thursday at 2017 Ellie Mae Classic

August 3, 2017
Ryan Ballengee
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Steph Curry is putting himself out there this week, teeing it up on the Web.com Tour in the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, marking the first time the two-time NBA most valuable player is competing in a high-level professional golf tournament.

While Curry is a 3000-to-1 longshot to win in Las Vegas, he's a 15-to-1 underdog just to make the cut on a course where 30 under par was the winning 72-hole score, a tally that included the first 58 in Web.com Tour history.

On Thursday, Curry shot 4-over 74 with a huge crowd watching his every move. He made three birdies, five bogeys and a double-bogey 6. He beat most social media predictions of how he would do.

Curry will beat at least nine players in the 156-player field, including 2017 Web.com Tour winner and Thursday playing partner Sam Ryder, two-time PGA Tour winner Frank Lickliter II and Mat Goggin, who has nine worldwide wins.

Steph Curry on Web.com Tour: Highlights from Thursday at 2017 Ellie Mae Classic

Curry made a bogey on his first hole of the day, No. 10 at TPC Stonebrae, after pulling his fairway wood tee shot into the "native area" on the left side of the hole.

Actually, Curry's tee shot found the bottom of the cup...the cup holder in a golf cart on the left side of the hole, that is.

He took two strokes from the taller grass before getting near the green to get up-and-down for a 5.

SCORE: +1 (5)

Curry didn't find the fairway with his tee shot on the par-4 11th either. However, he did manage to get up-and-down for a par 4. After missing the green with his second shot by a few yards, Curry chipped up to about 5 feet for an uphill par putt, which he made.

The kid has a pretty good short game through two holes, helping him make up for some sloppy driving.

SCORE: +1 (9)

Curry makes par on his first par 3 of the day at TPC Stonebrae. After finding the fringe with his tee shot, Curry took out putter and tried to drain his first birdie on the Web.com Tour. He was unsuccessful but did manage to make a simple par, his second in a row.

SCORE: +1 (12)

Curry dropped to 3 over par for the day with consecutive bogeys on his fourth and fifth holes of the round. On the 13th hole, his drive again found "native area" and he couldn't get on the green in two shots, missing a 5-footer for par. A hole later on No. 14, Curry's drive did find the fairway, but his approach shot ended up in a greenside bunker. Curry was unable to get up-and-down for the sand save, pushing him to 3 over on the round.

SCORE: +3 (22)

Curry got one of his three bogeys back on the first par 5 of the day. (TPC Stonebrae plays as a par-70 for the tournament but is typically a par-72 course.) The Warriors guard played the 606-yard hole perfectly, finding the fairway with his tee shot and laying up to a good number in the fairway for his third shot, with which he found the green. He made the birdie putt to a huge ovation from the large crowd, improving to 2 over par on the round.

SCORE: +2 (26)

No. 30 played the par-3 16th hole and par-4 17th hole like a pro might, finding the green in regulation with both (including after hitting the fairway with his tee shot on No. 17) and two-putting on the green for simple pars.

SCORE: +2 (33)

The Warriors guard is handling the pressure of professional golf well. He made par on the 18th hole, his ninth of the day, after finding a fairway bunker off the tee. His second shot wound up shy of the putting surface, but with deft short-game touch, Curry managed to get up-and-down for a par 4 and turn in an impressive 2-over 37.

SCORE: +2 (37)

Curry made the turn to the front nine of the course, making a pro's par on No. 1: fairway-green-two putts. However, on No. 2, he dropped back to 3 over par for the round. He missed his tee shot in the rough, though he did advance his second shot toward the fringe. He did not get up-and-down for par, tapping in for bogey.

SCORE: +3 (46)

Curry has handled both par 5s he'll see in this round with aplomb. He made birdie on the par-5 third hole, which plays 625 yards. Three shots to the green to set up an 8-footer for birdie that improved his score to 2 over par.

SCORE: +2 (50)

Curry played the 160-yard par-3 fourth hole in par, easily making 3. However, Curry finally got himself into serious trouble on the par-4 fifth hole, making a double-bogey 6. Curry's tee shot went left, which is his miss today, and required a penalty stroke after needing to take a drop in the rough. He needed two more post-drop to get to the green, where he two-putted for 6.

SCORE: +4 (56)

For the final four holes of the round, Curry played to the house in even par, including a birdie on the par-3 sixth hole, a pair of pars and a disappointing bogey 5 on the ninth hole, his last of the day.

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