Stephen Curry’s Golf Obsession Runs Deep and Has Him Looking Toward the Future |

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His every angle is perfect. His body positioning is nearly flawless. The balance and transfer of energy has a certain flow and smoothness that makes the motion feel entirely too easy. 

It’s a movement that Stephen Curry has been perfecting over the past few decades; a mix of meticulous training, relentless repetition and his natural gifts. No, it isn’t his jump shot—the greatest jump shot basketball has ever seen. A jump shot that has won him a scoring title, three NBA championships and two MVPs with the Golden State Warriors. 

It’s his golf swing. 

While no one would dare question whether he chose the right path in selecting basketball over golf, Curry can’t help but wonder what life would be like had he chose the road not taken. 

“There was always that question,” Curry says. “If I had to put as much time into golf as I did basketball, could I have made it? We’ll never know, but it’s always competed in terms of my attention.”

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On Friday at 3 p.m. ET, the world will get a glimpse of Curry on the course rather than the court when he competes alongside Phil Mickelson, Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning in Capital One’s “The Match: Champions for Change.” The event will be broadcast on TNT.  

The four will be competing at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Arizona. Curry will be paired with Manning, which means Mickelson and Barkley will team up. 

For some, this will likely mark their first time seeing Curry tee it up. And while many athletes moonlight as golfers during their offseason and downtime, Curry’s connection to the sport is far more advanced and personal—a connection that dates back to his youth.

His father, former professional basketball player Dell Curry, played golf as a hobby. Stephen would drive his golf cart at first. Then he would take a shot here and there. Before he knew it, he was hooked. 

“I got bit by the bug pretty early and became obsessed,” he says. “I’d find myself on the basketball court sometimes thinking about my next round. I kind of still do that in the league, which is kind of weird.”

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Although basketball ultimately won the tug-of-war for his sport of choice, golf has always been a close second. “The little stepbrother,” he says. 

When the NBA schedule is released every year, he pours over the matchups and what the season ahead might look like. In his mind, he walks through each game and the path to another championship. Then, when he’s processed the journey, he can’t help but loosely plan out where he might be able to sneak in a tee time here or there on the road. 

To Curry, it isn’t just a hobby. It’s a fixation. And while his primary focus will be on basketball for as long as he plays, Curry has dabbled with the idea of playing professional golf over the past few years. 

In 2017, he competed in the Ellie Mae Classic, a Korn Ferry Tour event. He missed the cut when he carded back-to-back 74s, although he still…