(Photo: LetsGoWarriors / B.Marie Photography)
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA — Another year, another Stephen Curry golf experience in the books. Assuming, of course, the 2020 pandemic version was a one-off, we can be sure that the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Resort will remain just that, DubNation’s own little championship to celebrate Curry each and every year.
This year it was the Currys, plural, as Steph’s brother Seth Curry joined in, while Damion Lee supported. Caddie Bryant Barr took this one off, but mutual former Davidson teammate Jason Richards filled in nicely.
Barr messaged me to say that he did not, in fact, get Wally Pipp’ed, which should make the “deep cut fan” college kids who blurted out, “R.I.P. White Lobstah!” quite happy for 2022 (White Lobstah was Barr’s nickname at Davidson).
Another sub: Yusef Wright, renowned celebrity barber from Oakland, stepping in for the legendary Ralph Walker.
A potential new fixture: a hoop (not just the one by the 17th tee) that happened to be placed near the walkway between the 17th and 18th holes. Tournament directors would be wise to make that a permanent location. Steph can’t seem to resist splashing from what fees like 25-to-30 feet, a perfect distance for the “Greatest shooter on the planet” (heard exclaimed by a fan as he walked by and nodded in acknowledgement). You’re likely to get high fives, a shimmy, and a Naruto celebration for years to come.
Hear all about why the ACChampionship is a must-attend event for all Warriors fans:
An extra 49ers bonus: I spotted George Kittle walking around as a spectator. He stopped and signed his autograph on a boy’s arm — that probably comes as no surprise to you lol.
Presumably, he was there to support his kicker Robbie Gould, who I later happened to sit next to on a bench outside the media room while waiting for the next shuttle. He was already in conversation with other people there, saying he couldn’t get any putts to fall. When asked about Trey Lance, he said Lance is really young and you never know, referencing the journey Tom Brady took, starting out as the backup to Drew Bledsoe.
And the obligatory visuals from this immaculate venue, vibrantly captured by Bianca Rhodes of B.Marie Photography, as she’s done for LetsGoWarriors since 2016:
We also have a private gallery of 78 pictures here. If you’re a subscriber to our Discord server — or a member of the Curry clan — contact me for the password! The pics are certainly print-worthy, as well, if you’re so inclined.
There’s even a snapshot of Charles Barkley throwing his golf club 😂 and one-offs of Justin Timberlake, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Michael Strahan, and DeMarcus Ware, as well as Steph’s pairings with dad Dell Curry, Seth, Tony Romo and Annika Sorenstam.
The entire playlist for the videos from the weekend and past golf exploits is here. Below is the Q&A from Thursday with transcript. I thought the best part was when Steph, who has already said no to trying the pro circuit after he retires from the NBA, cracked up after Seth said it would be a week of being a “fake professional golfer”.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic asked Steph for his input on the upcoming Draft, but he couldn’t offer much and it was cool when he even acknowledged that Slater wouldn’t like his answer (no worries on Slater’s part, I’m sure). Chris Alvarez of ABC7 got Steph to share an anecdote from the Burger King commercial with Seth when they were just kids:
Oh that was a lot of fun, thanks. I did enjoy following them for the three days, but this was a lot closer look at what happened.