Tiger Woods would be proud!
Stephen Curry is making a name for himself on the green, proving that an athlete is an athlete, no matter the sport. This past weekend, the Golden State star participated in the American Century Championship (ACC), making history as the first Black person to win the celebrity golf tournament in its 34 year history, NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The four time NBA champion came into the game set on winning, finishing with 75 total points and earning the No.1 spot on the ACC leaderboard, retired tennis player Mardy Fish coming in at number 2 and former San Jose Sharks player Joe Pavelski coming in at number 3.
“Honestly, I feel like the way I’m approaching and where I feel my game is, I have the game to win it now. It’s just a matter of, can you do it? I can say it all I want to. I finished fourth twice, I think. So, it’s in there. It’s a matter [of] can I put it together for 54 holes and balance the fun and the focus that you need to have to play all three rounds and play great,” Curry told reporters before the game.
He pulled it off, much to fan’s excitement, earning a hole-in-one on the seventh hole Saturday, his second-ever ace. He followed up his momentum on Sunday with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole in the third round, leading to a tournament-winning put on his 18th hole. Curry was ecstatic, throwing his hat up as he cheered in true Tiger Woods fashion.
STEPH FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/2CseeADH8e
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) July 16, 2023
Curry is now the third active professional athlete to ever win the tournament, NHL star Mario Lemieux taking home the title in 1998 and NFL player Al Del Greco achieving the milestone in 2000. The nine-time All-Star can now add this win to his long list of accolades, beating out his golfing peers as an ACC champion. The two-time NBA MVP has already started sharing his love of the game with the next generation, announcing a seven-figure donation to Howard University in 2019 to bring back their golf team. They launched during the 2020-2021 season and this year, the team won their second consecutive championship. Initially inspired by a Howard student, Curry said it’s about connecting kids to their passions and purpose.
“No matter where you come from or what socioeconomic background you had, we all were that kid once upon a time that was just excited about finding out who they were as a person through athletics,” Curry said.
Congratulations Steph!
Cover photo: Steph Curry becomes first Black person to win American Century Championship in 34 year history/Photo Courtesy of PGA Tour