HAYWARD — Stephen Curry was chilling. He played a round of 18 holes to practice for his foray into professional golf. Starting Thursday, Curry will compete on a sponsor’s exemption in the Web.com’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. But he wasn’t, as he calls it, “locked in.” Not this morning, as Tuesday’s 90-degree heat way up in the Hayward Hills beat down on his threesome and bronzed his exposed forearms.
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Nothing said Curry taking it easy like throwing the ball from the rough onto the fairway, which he did a few times. On the putting green at the 14th hole, Nick Rousey, a pro on the Web.com Tour, helped Curry with his putting rhythm. As Curry stood over the ball, Rousey waved his fist to a beat only they can hear, helping Curry even out the swing on his putt.
This practice round felt like practice as he signed a couple autographs, traded stories with tour pros and entertained stalking media. It’s light now, but he knows the intensity is coming.
Is the two-time MVP and two-time NBA champion nervous about his first appearance on tour?
“Hell yeah,” Curry said, walking up to a green.
“I play competitive golf once a year in Tahoe (at the American Century Celebrity Championship), and that’s fun. It’s relaxing because everybody’s expectations around me are to have fun. And play good golf, obviously, and try to win, but there are fun moments in between. But out here, this is these guys’ livelihoods.”
Curry has two days to “lock in” and will take a day off from the course on Wednesday.
In the meantime, he wanted to address a topic that went viral: him mocking LeBron James.
“Yeah, let’s talk about that,” Curry said.
Over the weekend, Curry was recorded dancing at former teammate Harrison Barnes’ wedding. Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, who reportedly asked for a trade because he is tired of being in LeBron’s shadow, was spotted in the video laughing at Curry.
What was Curry doing? He was doing his rendition of the #LeBronChallenge. Last month, LeBron posted a video of himself during a workout rapping along to the hit “First Day Out” by Tee Grizzley. The video was funny enough to go viral and people started posting their own version and giving it that hashtag.
Curry had become an expert at the #LeBronChallenge and was showing that off at the wedding.
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“I’ve been watching that video twice a day since it happened because its my favorite video in the entire world,” Curry said. “He made a song popular by making a video. And that lives. So now every time I hear that song, that’s all I think about. And I’ve been doing that dance because of him, at my house, at dinner. When something good happens, I pull that out, because I like it and it makes me laugh and it makes me happy. Not making fun of him.”
Curry’s rendition went viral and became the latest edition in the rivalry between he and LeBron, the Warriors and the Cavaliers. Fanning those flames was the presence of Irving.
“One thousand percent,” Curry said. “That was just a casualty of the moment because me and him were hanging out all night. Then that song came on and I was having a good time. Obviously, that’s a separate side story to their relationship, but neither one of us was trying to clown him.”
Curry said he did not reach out to LeBron to explain because he felt like it was unnecessary. He didn’t say this, but there was no way Curry is going to call LeBron and explain himself, not with their history. Curry is too competitive to concede that edge unnecessarily.
It’s his competitiveness that he hopes comes through for him in his first time competing against professional golfers. Curry said he is determined to not embarrass himself. A really good golfer whose handicap is at +0.1, Curry recognizes he is at a competitive disadvantage against people who play golf as their main sport. He just wants to be respectable.
“I won’t suck. I won’t suck,” Curry said, stoically repeating himself for emphasis. “I won’t suck for my standards. I might suck compared to them. But in 365 days, they probably play 300 of them. Probably more. Their expectations are way different than mine. This is their day job. They do this every single day.”
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But here is an advantage: the Warriors won the championship.
Last summer, Curry said he played some of the worst golf of his life. He will never forget how terrible he was, and he blamed it on losing the championship.
“It was all I could think about,” Curry said. “I couldn’t clear my mind.”
Having won the title and enjoyed the ensuing bliss, Curry is free and clear for golf, his focus not clouded by regret. He shot a 68 in the final round of the celebrity tournament at Tahoe and has been hitting the ball well all summer. Curry can crush the ball of the tee and gets good distance on his irons, though he can be erratic with them.
The difference between embarrassment and respectability in the Ellie May Classic is going to be his approach and his putting. Those require peace of mind, which he has. The championship is a benefit.
It also made it a no-brainer to give him the super-max deal he was lined up to receive. Curry signed the richest deal in NBA history, five years and $201 million, after guiding the Warriors to their second championship in two years. The numbers still make him shake his head.
Curry said he was willing to take less and told general manager Bob Myers as much.
“I actually asked Bob,” he said. “If I were to take a discount — at any number, I don’t know what it would be — how much of a difference would that make for us to be able to sign other guys. It wasn’t like (Kevin Durant’s) situation. His had a direct impact on us being able to sign Andre (Iguodala) and Shaun (Livingston). And it was just an unbelievable sacrifice by KD. But mine didn’t matter.”
So Curry signed it. He didn’t angle for a no-trade clause or option years. It was $201 million.
Of course, none of that will save him from his biggest fear playing in this tournament: finishing dead last.
Curry said he competes a bit differently on the course but he still needs the combativeness that he gets from basketball. He likes playing golf with others so he can have that exchange.
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He won’t be able to do that this time, as these are professionals and not friends betting cash on shots. Tony Romo won’t be throwing him passes on the fairway, and no allez oops from Justin Timberlake. This is the real deal.
The only foe to go after is the course, so he’ll have to figure out how to get to that place where he’s the baby-faced assassin against an inanimate object. Which could mean talking trash to a golf course.
“Don’t let me get a nice little birdie streak,” Curry said, strolling down the hill to his ball after crushing a drive off No. 1. “I’ll be like, ‘This course can’t guard me.'”
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