Stephen Curry to play Ellie Mae Classic on sponsor's invite.

[Greenbacks]

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Web.com Tour and Ellie Mae announced Wednesday that 2017 National Basketball Association (NBA) champion and Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry will play in the Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, to be contested the week of July 31-August 6. Curry will maintain his amateur status in the event and will compete on an unrestricted sponsor exemption. “We are elated to have Stephen Curry compete in this year’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae,” said tournament director Trish Gregovich. “Our longstanding goal has been to create a meaningful community impact through this event, and allowing a true pillar of the Bay Area community and a genuine sports superstar inside the ropes to compete alongside future PGA TOUR stars helps to elevate that effort.”
Curry, a member of the Warriors since 2009, is a two-time winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, and has appeared in the last three NBA Finals with the Warriors, helping lead the team to championships in 2015 and 2017. The 29-year-old is also currently the Warriors’ all-time leader in three-pointers made, and holds four of the top five single-season three-point totals in NBA history, including a record 402 three-pointers in 2015-16. Curry has been selected to three All-NBA Teams and has been a starter on the Western Conference All-Star team in each of the last four seasons.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to play with the pros in the upcoming Ellie Mae Classic, not only to be able to compete against some of the best golfers in the world, but to also help bring light to the tournament’s charitable footprint of giving back to the Warriors Community Foundation,” said Curry. “Golf has always been a passion of mine and it’s a dream come true to get the chance to play inside the ropes amongst the pros in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned tournament.” Last year’s Ellie Mae Classic produced one of the most memorable weeks in the Web.com Tour’s 28-year history, with Germany’s Stephan Jaeger posting 12-under 58 in the opening round, at the time the lowest score in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, on his way to a record-setting, 30-under-par 250 total and a seven-shot victory.
“We’re proud to welcome Stephen Curry to the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae. He’s a terrific player on the court and we expect him to dominate on the green as well,” said Jonathan Corr, president and CEO of Ellie Mae. “We’re also thrilled to once again partner with our main charitable beneficiary, the Warriors Community Foundation. We love seeing the players, coaches and staff out on the course, supporting the tournament’s tradition of philanthropy, which aligns with our core value of giving back.” The Warriors Community Foundation serves as the event’s main charitable beneficiary, as charity continues to play a key role in every PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, with other Ellie Mae charities also benefiting. The TOUR and its tournaments generated a record $166 million for charity in 2016, in turn elevating the all-time total donated to charity to $2.46 billion.
Since purchasing the Golden State Warriors in 2010, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have continued the club’s longstanding tradition of community involvement. The Warriors Community Foundation, established in 2012 under the new ownership group, serves to expand the team’s impact locally.

 

[Greenbacks]

Thursday, Aug 03, 2017
Stephen Curry Will he make the cut at the Ellie Mae Classic <tbody> </tbody>
Yes		+1000
No		-2000

<tbody>
</tbody>

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[carlspackler]

I've actually watched him play some and, not surprisingly, he is a solid shot.

 

[StevieRay]

• 

 

[Greenbacks]

Stephen Curry calls first-round, 4-over 74 at Ellie Mae Classic 'amazing experience'.

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Stephen Curry pumped his right fist, raised his arms in the air with club in hand and gave a firm shoulder bump to caddie Jonnie West, his golf partner on road trips with the Golden State Warriors.
A birdie at last after he carded three bogeys over his initial five holes Thursday.
There was the animated, confident Curry that NBA fans know so well, the two-time league MVP finally feeling it and making the tough shots on the challenging course at TPC Stonebrae while playing in his highly anticipated professional golf debut. He finished at 4-over 74 with a bogey on the last hole.
"It was an amazing experience, I've been looking forward to this since I found out, and to finally hit my first shot in tournament play was a really, really nervous moment, but it was everything I hoped for," Curry said. "If you told me I was going to shoot 74 going into the first round I'd take that all day, every day. I'm pretty happy with it."
Among the players Curry finished ahead of was Casey Wittenberg (76), who is ranked No. 429 in the world, and two-time PGA Tour winner Frank Lickliter.
Curry drew quite a crowd to the Web.com Tour's Ellie Mae Classic, where Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice has played a few times in the past.
The star point guard of the champion Warriors high-fived fans -- some 300-plus at the picturesque course providing panoramic views overlooking San Francisco Bay -- between some holes and chatted with the other two in his threesome, Sam Ryder and defending champion Stephan Jaeger.
Curry, who munched on a breakfast sandwich at the green of his first hole, missed badly on his initial ball of the day, landing his tee shot off a hill that kicked it perfectly into the cup holder of a golf cart. He then took a drop.
Not quite as spot-on as those signature pregame tunnel shots at Oracle Arena or the jaw-dropping, buzzer-beating 3-pointers from way, way back.
"That's probably a first on the tour. There was a golf cart just left of my target on hole No. 1 and it went right in the cup holder," Curry said. "Not an ideal way to start with calling a rules official over after your first tee shot. I kind of settled in after that."
On the 15th fairway, Curry leaned on West, a member of Golden State's front office and son of Hall of Famer Jerry West. Jonnie West also is a member at this course.
Then Curry finished the par-5 15th by sinking a 5-foot, downhill birdie putt.
FIRST BIRDIE for Steph Curry happens at the par five 15th!! Small celebration, but a celebration none the less with his caddie! That birdie also move Curry back to +2 thru his first six holes. The lead is -5.
He made par on No. 16 then survived a tee shot to the bunker and a near stumble climbing out of the sand on the par-4 18th and made about an 8-footer to save par.
That prompted a triumphant club tap to his shoe and Curry then held up the ball sporting a big grin.
Huge par save at the 18th hole for Steph Curry! As the ball went in the hole he even gave the Tiger Woods fist pump before this wave to the crowd after getting the ball from the hole. Curry makes the turn at +2 for the tournament hitting 3 of 7 fairways, 3 of 9 greens, but 13 putts!!
"It was awesome," West said. "He handled the nerves of this being his first time in this type of atmosphere pretty well."
Curry began his round on the back nine and was 2-over 37 at the turn, where he eagerly accepted a bag of fast food chicken for lunch.
He said that when his name was announced to begin his day, "I could barely feel my hands, I had to try to take a deep breath."
The top 65 and ties from the 156-player field will make the cut. Curry, playing on a sponsor exemption and one of three amateurs in the field, was outside the top 140 and five shots below the cut line as the first round was headed for a conclusion.
"I want to play better tomorrow. Now that I kind of got the jitters out hopefully that will happen and hit a couple more good shots and make a couple more putts," he said.
With so many cameras clicking, cheers and whistles moments after he struck the ball and hundreds of supporters in No. 30 shirts and Warriors gear, this was no doubt a "Strength In Numbers" kind of day.
There would be no balls lost, either. Wherever his shots landed, a big crowd quickly gathered to get an up-close glimpse of one of basketball's best. One of the biggest bargains in the NBA before, Curry was rewarded last month with a $201 million, five-year contract.
Playing his other sporting passion, Curry got plenty of help along the 7,024-yard, par-70 course. Those with homes along the course gathered in groups on decks to catch a hole.
On this day, it was Jaeger making a key assist down the stretch. Waiting at the tee box on their final hole, he took a basketball belonging to 14-year-old Erik Oswald from Southern California for Curry to sign and delivered it back to the giddy teen dressed in a chef's hat who had followed his hoops hero all day.
"Unbelievable gallery out here," Curry said, "hopefully that continues through the week."

 

[Greenbacks]