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Golden State Warrior Curry carded a four-over
74, not quite a Spieth-like performance, but enough to finish
the first round ahead of several professionals at the Ellie Mae
Classic at TPC Stonbrae in Hayward, California.
He made a jittery start, his opening tee shot landing in a cup
holder on a golf cart adjacent to the fairway.
The Warriors guard, followed by a large gallery of adoring fans,
notched three bogeys in his first five holes but then held his
score together pretty well after that.
“Not an ideal way to start, calling a rules official after your
first tee shot, but settled down after that,” Curry told
reporters.
“To hit my first shot in tournament play was a really nervous
moment but it was everything I hoped for.
"If you’d told me I was going to shoot 74 going into the first
round I’d take that all day, every day, so pretty happy with it.
"As soon as he said my name on the first tee, I could barely
feel my hands. I had to take a deep breath and still there
wasn’t anything I could do to prepare for that moment but after
the third hole it was just golf like normal.”
Curry suffered one double-bogey but avoided major disasters in a
round of three birdies.
Twice NBA Most Valuable Player, Curry is seeking to become the
first athlete from another sport to make a cut on the Web.com
tour.
Many have tried and failed, and Curry faces a steep battle on
Friday to make the cut, which is expected to fall at around
two-under.
“I want to play better tomorrow and now I’ve got the jitters out
hopefully that will happen,” he said.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by
Ian Ransom)
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