The mega-post is finally here, all the videos and quotes collected from Stephen Curry’s hole-in-one and eventual win at the American Century Championship are long overdue. But before the data dump, I’m here to remind everyone that whenever Curry takes the mic, he teaches you something applicable to life.
It amazes me how many times I’ll be on our YouTube livestream after any given loss during a Golden State Warriors season, going through a Steph postgame, and his recurring message just gets lost. As I try to calm DubNation down, Wardell will inevitably take the podium and remind us that there is beauty in the process rather than the result. Of course, most of the angriest fans have either logged off in a spate of frustration by that point late into the night, but then again they probably were already in the midst of a state of survival, of wins and losses, rather than learning or gaining wisdom. You can’t see the forest for the trees if your goal was conquest.
However, a couple weekends ago in Tahoe in the media room it was the trophy-winning Curry revealing to golf reporters his psyche after a most unique run of three rounds of golf. My favorite part of Steph’s post-18th hole sermon wound up at the end, fittingly closing an amazing, awe-inspiring weekend.
Asked by Stan Bautista of CelebrityGolf.com about checking his pulse and the approach to the 18th tee down three points, needing a birdie to tie and an eagle to win, Steph said this:
So I was checking my pulse (on an earlier hole) because I do that during timeouts in basketball. Just the adrenaline and the nerves and all that, your heart rate’s going, I was kind of wanting to get a check on where it was. I do a lot of breathing work during basketball games to control all of that and recover quicker. So I try to bring that philosophy out here just because I’m a fish out of water out here on the course, dealing with those those emotions. So it’s just a little check to see how it was because I had been thinking about the final round all night, sleeping on the lead and all that type of stuff. So, just kind of a cool little experiment.
And then on 18th here, I’ve heard enough professional golfers, legends talk about the game and their approach to it and not acknowledging where you are in a tournament. I did look at the scoreboard, I knew where I was, I knew what needed to happen. My caddy J-Rich (Jason Richards), he told me, ‘Let’s just hit a good one,’ and that’s all you can do. Just hit a good drive, keep yourself in it. Alright, survey what’s next, hit a good second shot. You’re on the green, good. Check, check. And then you get to the green and you just try to control yourself, keep the same pace of walking, keep distractions out, but also don’t look at the line and obsess over it because that’s not the routine normally anyway. So just go through all that type of stuff.
And like I said, it’s all the mental warfare you go through. It was fun to be in that scenario because I’ve heard how they approach it. It’s entirely different in a basketball game because it’s so reactive on the hardwood, but out here you have to be able to control all of those thoughts and just speak positivity into yourself. So, tell yourself you’re built for this because you’ve been through other scenarios where you needed to perform and you live with the results, like I said earlier. It’s not like you can will it in, you just live with the results.
For me personally, I think the first step is awareness. Awareness that your brain is going to present you with some negative thoughts all the time — as a means of protection, though. But the thinking positively part, as Curry said, it’s not as simple as just using your will. Steph, in particular, has been brought up since childhood to approach everything with joy. Surely, dad Dell and mom Sonya reminded little Steph daily about how lucky he was to be able to have shootaround contests against NBA players (see Dell interview below, “never lost a shootaround game”).
So that part of it, speaking positivity into yourself, that’s not easy. Some of us have to go against decades of our brain and body learning and making certain automatic negative reactions to situations. I’m speaking in broad terms, not wanting to stray too far from Warriors journalism, but the bottom line is, it takes practice and it’s going to take the unlearning of long-established emotions to reprogram your mind accordingly.
To say, okay, my autonomic nervous system is making me super-nervous or scared right now — because it’s a defense mechanism to spare me the potential anguish of missing the shot — you have to, as Curry would say, flip it on its head and tell yourself that the joy of the rare positive result, which is backed up by what you’ve practiced and learned from other successful people, is worth it and you can be happy with any result because you’ve failed before and it actually wasn’t life or death.
As I mentioned, the first step with all this is an awareness of how your brain is hardwired. But anyone can apply the blueprint that Steph just gave us for the 18th hole to life’s challenges. It isn’t easy, for sure. There’s negativity all around us all the time, often exacerbated by social media apps. But you’ve got to try. Btw, kudos to Warriors super-fan Mistah FAB, who went on Instagram and put himself out there, saying he suffers from anxiety — full circle: talk about mental warfare, the title of this post! We all have something going on and I’d be remiss to say that some mental health issues didn’t contribute to my own delays in posting this article. But take a moment to consider how you would apply Steph’s approach to that tournament-winning final putt to a challenge in your life.
And with that, we move on: There’s a bonus video for subscribers only, scroll all the way down to the bottom for that and don’t forget, here’s our ACC photo gallery:
[Begin data dump, videos first, then quotes, all in mostly reverse chronological order, per usual…]
ACC/STEPH VIDEOS:
👆 Canon to Steph Curry: “Did you win?” +more American Century Championship up-close bts: Dell/Iguodala
👆 Steph wears “Curry Boys” belt after ACChampionship; Fred Couples told him ok to be a pro for one day [Full transcript below, scroll down…]
👆 Check the above video’s Description or Comments for all the topics we covered during Steph’s Round 3. User “ScummDropEmOff” clipped my dorky reaction to the win 😂 here, using YouTube’s clip feature.
👆 Views of Steph Curry’s hole-in-one: footage you haven’t seen yet! From Round 2 American Century ⛳️
👆 STEPH CURRY on hole-in-one: “I’m still coming down from the adrenaline rush…my speed was up there” [Full transcript below, scroll down…]
👆 TJD then Steph! Last #Warriors #NBASummerLeague game, Curry at Tahoe golf tourney: Live chat/PVO!!!! [Went live early as Steph hit the hole-in-one, then we watched Summer League and Trayce Jackson-Davis, see Comments/Description for topics.]
👆 Bts⛳️ Steph Curry: leads ACC; splashes 3; 12th putt; beats Mahomes; bourbon for fans; +Iguodala/Seth
👆 Full STEPH CURRY interview: leads American Century golf; “run your own race”/Underrated [Full transcript below, scroll down…]
👆 STEPH CURRY “our team makes a lot more sense” after Chris Paul trade; “I beat Patty Mahomes” by 1 yd [Full transcript below, scroll down…]
👆 DELL CURRY: “As a 10-year-old, Steph, myself and Vinny (Del Negro) never lost” shootaround [pre-ACC, see transcript below…]
Q&A TRANSCRIPT AFTER WIN:
ACC spokesperson 0:00
Steph, why do you save the best for last? I mean, that was incredible. Take us through that putt.
Steph Curry 0:06
I think the way golf works, in terms of hitting decent shots, in the back nine was a lot of bogeys on there. I was hitting the ball pretty solid. I wasn’t getting too close to the hole, so I had a couple of bad three-putts and bad up-and-downs. But I felt like I was striking it well enough to just give myself a chance, especially on the last hole. Like that’s what you dream about in this game, to know what you have to do, 18th hole, bottle up the nerves, the adrenaline, lock-in to what you’re trying to d. I hit three really good shots and understand the moment. I do want to shout out Mardy Fish because he played unbelievable today. It was amazing to watch. I didn’t see him the first few rounds, but he played unbelievable. And it was just fun to see that type of ball-striking and scoring out there. We had an unfortunate incident on the 18th tee that you have to acknowledge, but in terms of it coming down to that last putt, that’s what I dream about. I’ve seen guys on TV. I’ve seen the Tiger at Torrey Pines and those type of moments. And when you’re in there, to myself I was surprisingly calm, which was a fun feeling, just to be in the moment and enjoy it because that was an amazing atmosphere out there. Me and my guy J-Rich on the bag had a pretty confident read. I couldn’t make anything on the back nine, but I made one and that was the one I needed to make. And got this thing, so it’s pretty special.
ACC spokesperson 1:48
How far would you estimate that putt?
Steph Curry 1:51
Probably 18 to 20 (feet), somewhere in there? Probably 18 or more. These greens are unbelievable. I don’t know what they’re rolling on the step, but they’re fast and I was above the hole all day. So just trying to get the pace right to give myself the right line and just trust it and hit it. And in those moments it’s all about routine. I’ve learned that over the course — you can’t switch up anything when you get a little nervous or you feel pressure. You just gotta stick to routine and the routine and hopefully you live with the results. Soon as I hit it, hit my line, starts to do exactly what you envision it doing, and the last five feet felt like slow motion because it was right on-line. I think I dropped the putter and I was already ready to celebrate. It was the perfect putt at the right time.
ACC spokesperson 2:41
How does this compare with, say, a three-pointer at the buzzer to win a game?
Steph Curry 2:45
It’s pretty damn close. In this game, you obviously have a lot more time to think about this scenario and the moment. And just the routine of it all is the most important. Like on the basketball court, it’s all about reacting. Can-Can (gets Canon Curry’s attention). Can-Can. Can you do me a favor please? Thank you. You have a lot more time to react on the basketball court. Out here, it’s all about what happens in here (points to his head). And to be able to kind of maintain focus, contain the emotions. Again, I don’t do this for a living and you dream about moments like this, watching the guys that play at the highest level, to put myself in their shoes for just a second. Freddie Couples sent me a text — I’m name-dropping — Freddie Couples sent me a text last night to remind me of it’s okay to assume you’re a professional golfer for a day and try to block out all the distractions, be in the moment, enjoy yourself, stick to your routine. And it was helpful to hear that because I was like a kid in a candy store all day. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course for sure.
ACC spokesperson 4:02
Whose arms did you run into across the green after you made the putt?
Steph Curry 4:06
So funny enough, I made a hole-in-one yesterday and between hole 7 and 12, I’m celebrating, I’m on an adrenaline high, trying to gather myself, and I’m also making plans for my wife to drive up. She was still back in the Bay with our kids — to drive up for the final round knowing I was in good shape. I proceeded to go 3-over to the next four holes. And then finally regained focus down the stretch, but the logistical planning of making sure she was here and Canon was here for the day, I mean, I can’t even draw it up any better to make that putt. She knows how much I love this game. It’s always on the TV. Doesn’t matter what time it is. I’m watching the game. I’m trying to soak up as much as I can. So as soon as I made it, I made the putt, I knew where she was and I had to go straight to her because I told her I told them downstairs, I appreciate the fact that, even on our vacation, she’ll let me play. And she’s getting into the game now too but I get some reps even on our our vacations, which helped me prepare for this. So it’s a nice little balance and I appreciate the fact that I got to celebrate with her.
ACC spokesperson 5:27
And Dell and Seth were nearby, weren’t they, as well?
Steph Curry 5:31
Yeah, it’s been the tournament within the tournament. Over the last couple years. I’m not in contention to win but we have our own little game going on, obviously, for this beautiful karate belt right here. And so I’ve been in scenarios where they finish their rounds and come and watch the last two or three holes. And so for them to see me struggle, I made par on 16, bogey on 17, and to see that eagle on 18 to win it, we love this tournament. Y’all know that. And it was special for the whole family.
ACC spokesperson 6:07
Three eagles during your tournament.
Steph Curry 6:10
Four.
ACC spokesperson 6:11
Four. Excuse me.
Steph Curry 6:14
Four. Yeah, one on the first day, hole-in-one and two today. Crazy. Took everything out of me to get this one. That’s crazy.
ACC spokesperson 6:23
You know, we talked about the introduction of you on the TV the other day, as far as you’ve won four NBA championships and all the accolades, and then the announcer said, ‘But he hasn’t won the big one, the American Century Championship. Well, history! What do you think now?
Steph Curry 6:38
He’s back there in the corner. I know he writes his own stuff. He’s got his own material. I told him he manifested this because I never really realized how much I wanted to win this and it’s special, so I don’t know what you’re gonna have for next year. Looking forward to the creativity but it’d be fun to come back and I’ll be back next year trying to defend the title.
ACC spokesperson 7:00
I think that was our good friend Nick Casanova with NBC. Way to go, Nick.
Steph Curry 7:03
Yes. Appreciate you.
ACC spokesperson 7:05
Jon, did you want to say anything? Jon Miller, NBC Sports. Come on up, John.
Steph Curry 7:13
That’s going in a frame, 100%.
Jon Miller 7:15
We’ll get you your own trophy to keep at home.
Steph Curry 7:18
Thank you very much.
Jon Miller 7:21
You can take this home with you or we can have it shipped.
Steph Curry 7:23
I was about to say, I get the protocol but let me take this one, please. I’m gonna feel like Wyndham Clark in New York tomorrow, like holding it around, going crazy.
ACC spokesperson 7:36
You know, there was one thing that I understand you’re playing with two other guys. We talked a little bit about this yesterday as well with with Mardy Fish and with Joe Pavelski and you’re all good friends. I understand that when Mardy walked by you before your putt on 18, he said, ‘Make it.’
Steph Curry 7:54
I mean, that’s the guy he is, right? He’s won this before, he understands the moment. It was hard because you want to be like real cutthroat and not talk, you’re playing competitive, or do like the old Tiger Woods routine that you heard about. But it’s hard when you have two great guys that you’re playing with, that you know so well, so balancing that was an amazing day. Mardy played amazing today, the entire day. Hit so many good putts, played steady and it was just fun to be in that group. We’ve played casual rounds before, we’ve played in the same group here, but dream come true to play with Marty and Joe, two guys that I know very well, good friends with, have a lot of fun with every time we put the tee in the ground. And that comment was real. He knew what the stakes were. As soon as he missed that birdie chance to win it, he said that to me. And it was cool just to accept it, fall into my routine and I still can’t believe I made it. It was crazy.
ACC spokesperson 8:57
Hey, we’re going to open this up. We’ve got a couple of calls from some of our Zoom callers. I think we have a friend of yours, Ron Kroichick from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Steph Curry 9:07
Why did you leave, Ron? Why did you —
Ron Kroichick 9:11
Congrats, Steph.
Steph Curry 9:13
Thank you.
Ron Kroichick 9:15
I’ve seen you play a lot of golf, so I do wish I had been there. That was a cool, cool round to watch. You and others have talked about comparing it to a three-pointer at the buzzer, but I’m just sort of curious how much that experience helps, the fact that you often play in those tight, tense atmospheres in basketball. How much do you think that helps when you’re standing there on the 18th green today trying to make that putt?
Steph Curry 9:46
It helps because of the reps, but even more because I’ve failed at it so many times. So there’s no real fear of failure in that moment. I was thinking to myself all day, kind of acknowledging what was actually happening. You’re in the final round of a golf tournament that you love so much. You’re playing with two guys that you enjoy their company, you understand the stakes, but then when it gets to just hitting shots, it’s all confidence, it’s all what happens between the ears. So the reps on the court definitely help, not being afraid to take chances, not being afraid of the results. A lot of people would love to be in that scenario where you’re having a 20-, 18-foot putt to to win a tournament, a member guest, a member member, whatever it is, a skins game, like, all that stuff. That’s why everybody loves the game of golf. You’re searching for those moments. And I was fortunate enough to have it here. Fortunate enough to make it and all about the process of just enjoying myself, trying to remember that the entire round and got to the finish line.
Ron Kroichick 10:51
And if I can ask one quick follow-up. I know we’ve talked many times about why you love golf so much. And as you noted earlier, you hadn’t really publicly talked about how much you wanted to win this tournament. And I realized it’s still fresh, but can you sort of articulate what this means to win this particular tournament? And given how much you care about golf and how much you follow it, we talk about it all the time. Obviously it matters to you. How would you sort of articulate how much it matters to you?
Steph Curry 11:22
I started playing the game at ten, fell in love with it. Obviously basketball is my craft, my job, my passion and we put so many hours and hours and hours and reps into it. Going into my fifteenth year in the league, I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences. Golf has a special place in my life, a couple of times a month during the season, a lot in the offseason. One, it’s kind of my therapy just to be outside, play, being amongst friends and finally the competition, right? And that’s what this tournament provides for some amazing golfers who are as passionate about the game as I am. And I think overall there’s a little bit of selfish pride of saying I’m good enough to win this tournament, but there’s also an understanding of everything is about playing golf on a major stage to understand how fun it is, create more access to the game. Everything that I’ve been doing with Howard University with Underrated Golf Tour, you name it, like golf is a centerpiece to create opportunity and for me I know a lot of people, they watched the hole-in-one, they watched that last putt. Who knows if they would ever been introduced to the game of golf otherwise. So it’s pretty special to know I’m in that position and trying to continue to stay on that mission.
Ron Kroichick 12:48
Thanks, Steph. I promise I won’t leave next year.
ACC spokesperson 12:53
Hey Steph, you’re the first active player to win this event since the year 2000 when Al Del Greco won, so it’s been 23 years. We know when John Elway was still active, his No. 1 goal when he came here, he goes, ‘Hey, I know I can’t beat some of the really good players,’ he goes, ‘I just want to be the lowest score with the active players.’ You’ve kind of done both today.
Steph Curry 13:14
Appreciate it, man. I’ve talked about that for sure, there’s a lot of motivation not giving up hope that it would have to take till when I was retired to have a [inaudible] and played more golf throughout the year and to be ready for this. Honestly, sounds weird because I’ve sacrificed so much, my family does, in terms of basketball. But like I said, I love this game, passionate about it and even the last two months since we finished our playoff run to now, the preparation for this tournament has kind of always been the running joke. And it paid off.
ACC spokesperson 13:53
Okay, we have another question. Chris Alvarez, KGO Television in San Francisco. Chris joining us.
Chris Alvarez 13:59
Hi Steph, can you hear me?
Steph Curry 14:00
Yes, sir.
Chris Alvarez 14:01
Congratulations. Sorry, I left too, with Ron. What does it mean to have your family there? I saw your moment with Canon and just that moment to share with them and how much are you looking forward to kind of showing off and bragging during the Underrated Tour this summer?
Steph Curry 14:19
I just left the championship day at Firestone a couple weekends ago and saw the kids and hit a couple shots in front of them. I told them a little bit about the tournament I was preparing for and I know a lot of them are watching. Everett Whiten, Jr. from Howard University, who’s such an amazing golfer and has a promising future, he even texted me yesterday after my shot and was giving me confidence on trying to finish the job. Everybody in my circle, family, teammates, friends, the young men and women who are on the Underrated Golf Tour, the Howard golf team, they all understand just how much this game means and so they were all cheering for me. Hopefully it just gives them more excitement and energy around what they’re doing. And I’ll see a couple of them in Washington in a couple of weeks. And I’ll bring the hardware for sure.
Chris Alvarez 15:26
Real quick follow up: of the putt, the hole-in-one and the shot you had on Friday, obviously the winner for the championship, is that your favorite or which shot was the best of the three?
Steph Curry 15:37
I mean, the hole-in-one is crazy because how often do you see that in a tournament setting? But that helped me put me in position to have a lead and be able to get to these last 18 holes and try to finish it off. But there’s nothing like that moment where you walk up on the green, you see the stage set and you know, alright if I make this, I win a golf tournament. And people that have experienced that, there’s no greater feeling whether, again, it’s a casual around, trying to win a couple bets, whether it’s a member a tournament, whatever it is, or something like this. So I got to be a professional golfer for a day and I go back to my day job.
Chris Alvarez 16:21
Congrats, Steph. Thanks.
ACC spokesperson 16:22
I’m not sure you’re a professional golfer. I think you signed the amateur clause before the tournament.
Steph Curry 16:28
I did, without the paycheck. Yes.
ACC spokesperson 16:31
Hey Steph, it sure seemed obvious that you were the favorite out there among the fans, with your tenure with the Golden State Warriors. And a lot of that’s the person you are, too. How did it feel out there with the fans on your side?
Steph Curry 16:46
Yeah, it’s a four-hour drive from my house to here and, like you said, there’s a lot of Warrior fans. Surprisingly there are a lot of — I mean, not surprisingly — there were a lot of Kings fans and surprisingly they were way more loud or vocal than the Warrior fans. I heard a lot of ‘Light The Beam’, I heard a lot of ‘Let’s go Kings’ and all that type of stuff. So that gave me a little gas in the tank, too, for sure. Even from my rookie year, after my rookie year my first time I’m playing in this tournament, you can tell that there’s a lot of DubNation that will make the trip up and be here to support the tournament before I’ve even accomplished anything in the league. So it’s only grown from here and I appreciate the love and support for sure.
ACC spokesperson 17:33
Hey Steph, as far as Korn Ferry Tour events, how many have you participated in and any PGA Tour events?
Steph Curry 17:39
Only two Korn Ferry events. I’ve been at TPC Stonebridge in Hayward. It was the Ellie Mae Classic. That was the first year, 2017 I believe, that was the kind of like coming out party of how serious I take the game and the first time I got real compliments from my game from all the professionals that understand how hard tournament golf really is. I think I finished 14th from last, so I beat some some pros out there. The second year, I think I shot 71 or 70 in the first round and it was like three off the cut line, so I had to sleep on that thinking I could actually make a cut on a Korn Ferry Tour. And then I shot 87, so I got humbled really quickly.
ACC spokesperson 18:24
Okay, Ron Kroichick has one more. We’re gonna get Ron a room rate on Sunday night next year, so he can stay but he’s got another question for you.
Ron Kroichick 18:33
Sorry to [inaudible] up again. Hey Steph, based on watching on TV your reaction to when the fan yelled in Mardy’s swing was pretty striking. I’m curious your take on that incident and how it affected the final hole, because obviously if Mardy makes birdie, then you guys are going to a playoff.
Steph Curry 18:51
Yeah, like I said, you have to acknowledge it. It was an unfortunate situation. I don’t even know what to call him, I don’t want to say names. But the guy trying to sabotage what was going on for a moment. Mardy, he’s such a class act. And I complimented the way he bounced back to give himself a chance to make a putt on the last hole. It’s kind of hard to acknowledge that and also understand if I make that putt, like you said, we could go to a playoff and if he makes it, that putt on the green, he wins. So it’s tough. Like I said, I hated it. In that moment I felt just embarrassed for all the other fans because there’s so much great love for the 99.9% of the other people that come into this environment and are so supportive and bring so much energy, and you got one guy that loses his mind for a second. So I don’t know what Mardy said about it, but I just appreciate the way he handled it. And you hate — you don’t want to ever see that and in a moment like that.
ACC spokesperson 20:03
Okay, Dave, do you have a question?
Dave Leonardi 20:04
Skier News and Always Upright Podcast. Congratulations on winning the big one, Steph. How much extra value is it added to the belt you’re wearing?
Steph Curry 20:18
As much hardware as I can get, I’m gonna take it all. I didn’t think I could win this without winning that and so there’s, like I said, a lot of extra motivation all the way around. I can’t say how much I enjoyed today. I enjoy every round I play up here whether you’re in contention or not, but to be in a final group and just be locked in for like that for the entire round and to come down to last (putt), I cannot tell you how much fun I had and that’s what this is all about.
Dave Leonardi 20:48
I consider your feet being permanently well on the floor, but how emotionally high are you right now after this victory?
Steph Curry 20:57
Um, pretty up there.
Dave Leonardi 21:01
How well will you sleep tonight, if at all?
Steph Curry 21:04
I’m gonna sleep on a plane. I’ll be good.
Dave Leonardi 21:07
And in all seriousness, how many extra rounds did you get in with your early exit from the playoffs this year? And how much do you think that helped?
Steph Curry 21:15
It obviously helped, I mean, it’s the consolation prize for getting beat in the playoffs. I think I had like four extra weeks so I probably played 10, 12 extra rounds. But yeah, I said it, I think, the other day, it’s all about just continuing to try to find ways to enjoy the game a little bit more and get a little bit better. Just kind of stacking those blocks on top of each other. I’ve been on that kind of quote-unquote serious journey for three or four years now and just trying to find a way to get better at the game, knowing that this was something I knew I had the skill set to do. But you just got to go out and do it.
Dave Leonardi 21:56
Well congratulations once again. Have a great season on the court and we’ll see you next July.
Steph Curry 22:01
Appreciate it. Thank you.
ACC spokesperson 22:02
Hey Steph, you’ve now provided some thrills to people in another sport. Congratulations to you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the tournament throughout the weeks. We have a couple other questions. Okay, let’s go over here. I’m sorry.
Laney Griffo 22:14
Hey, sorry. Laney Griffo, Tahoe Daily Tribune. So, you just mentioned that you had the extra four weeks of practice. Did you do anything else during the year to prepare or how did you get from not being in a standing to winning?
Steph Curry 22:29
The thing is, I finished tied for fourth twice. So when you get — I had a couple of great Sunday rounds that maybe we could call it back door, top five finish, going real low, 17 groups ahead of the final group. I knew like, again, if I could just get off to a good start then I could give myself a chance and then you just take it from there. I’ve always struggled out the gate and gotten better as the tournament goes on. So the 27 points on Friday, it just gave me a newfound confidence. I didn’t do anything different other than just play a little bit more because you can beat balls on the range and work on mechanics and all that type of stuff, but you have to play to make it work and make it useful. So playing those extra 10 rounds definitely gave me a little bit more confidence and a little bit more rhythm coming into it. So you know all that stuff is just muscle memory. Same way on the court, doesn’t matter what the situation is, it’s muscle memory shooting. You’re an 18th tee, you know you got to try to hit a good tee shot, then you know you got to try to hit a good approach shot, then you know your routine on a green, like all that stuff is just muscle memory and it definitely helps.
Laney Griffo 23:40
Now that you’ve had a taste of the trophy, are you going to retire from basketball or pursue this?
Steph Curry 23:47
Have y’all seen those CBA terms in the NBA? Life is good in the league. So I’ll be all right.
Laney Griffo 23:57
Thank you.
Steph Curry 23:58
Thank you.
Speaker 4 24:01
[Inaudible] television. Congratulations, Steph. You kind of took my question away. My question is about Howard University. For people who don’t know, just a little bit.
Steph Curry 24:10
About Howard?
Speaker 4 24:11
Yeah, Howard golf and how you got involved with that. And how’s that going?
Steph Curry 24:15
There’s a kid — not a kid, he’s a grown adult now — Otis Ferguson IV who I met at a screener when I went on to Howard’s campus in 2019, I believe it was, and he was on the club golf team. They didn’t have their Division I program financed at all. And he talked about the efforts he was going through to talk to the athletic department to try to create a men’s and women’s golf team. It was just a casual conversation. Kind of understood the opportunity to support a major HBCU, Howard University. I didn’t go there obviously, but I know a lot of alumni and they talked about how special it is. And I think from there, being able to create a six-year pledge to finance the team on both the men’s and women’s side, create scholarships there. Coach Sam Puryear, who’s been the director of golf there. He’s done an amazing job. They’re two-time national champs from an HBCU standpoint. And now we’re trying to create a marquee golf program that can compete with anybody in the country. There’s some amazing men and women student athletes and golfers who are taking that opportunity and running with it. So it’s special to know I had a part in that. We’re trying to get to a point where we can create an endowment that that program will be in existence forever and kids will be able to pursue golf at the highest levels and obviously the more stars, more representation, diversity and getting more black and brown men and women in the game of golf because it teaches you so much about yourself. The world and the business of golf is so wide and we want to create opportunity in that space and hopefully we can get more representation on the PGA, LPGA tours. So that’s the North Star, that’s the mission and Howard’s a huge part of that.
ACC spokesperson 26:22
All right, Stan, last question. Let’s make it a good one.
Stan Bautista 26:24
Yep. Hey, Stan Bautista, celebritygolf.com. On the first tee, I saw you checking your pulse. I’m not sure what that was.
Steph Curry 26:24
You did? You caught that!
Stan Bautista 26:30
You were doing this action, yeah. And I’m kind of curious what that was all about. But also on the on the 18th tee box — sorry, man —
Steph Curry 26:38
No, that’s good. That’s good reporting right there.
Stan Bautista 26:40
So if you don’t mind sharing what that was about, but also on the 18th tee box, you’re on the 18th tee, you’re down by three points. You only got one hole left. What’s going through your mind and what are you saying to yourself to calm your nerves?
Steph Curry 26:54
So I was checking my pulse because I do that during timeouts in basketball. Just the adrenaline and the nerves and all that, your heart rates going, I was kind of wanted to get a check on where it was. I do a lot of breathing work during basketball games to control all of that and recover quicker. So I try to bring that philosophy out here just because I’m a fish out of water out here on the course dealing with those those emotions. So it’s just a little check to see how it was because I had been thinking about the final round all night, sleeping on the lead and all that type of stuff. So, just kind of a cool little experiment. And then on 18th here, I’ve heard enough professional golfers, legends to talk about the game and their approach to it and not acknowledging where you are in a tournament. I did look at the scoreboard, I knew where I was, I knew what needed to happen. My caddy J-Rich, he told me, let’s just hit a good one, and that’s all you can do. Just hit a good drive, keep yourself in it. Alright, survey what’s next, hit a good second shot. You’re on the green, good. Check, check. And then you get to the green and you just try to control yourself, keep the same pace of walking, keep distractions out, but also don’t look at the line and obsess over it because that’s not the routine normally anyway. So just go through all that type of stuff. And like I said, it’s all the mental warfare you go through. It was fun to be in that scenario because I’ve heard how they approach it. It’s entirely different in a basketball game because it’s so reactive on the hardwood, but out here you have to be able to control all of those thoughts and just speak positivity into yourself. So, tell yourself you’re built for this because you’ve been through other scenarios where you needed to perform and you live with the results, like I said earlier. It’s not like you can will it in, you just live with the results.
Stan Bautista 28:41
It was a pleasure to watch. Congratulations, man.
Steph Curry 28:43
Thank you, thank you.
ACC spokesperson 28:44
Steph, you got everybody here all fired up today. So, great finish. Great having you here. Thank you for all you do for the tournament and coming into the media room every day. We appreciate it.
TRANSCRIPT POST-RD2 HOLE-IN-ONE
ACC spokesperson 0:01
We’ll be there in a second. Good to go. All right, Steph. Rumor has it there was a hole-in-one out there today.
Steph Curry 0:11
Yeah, man. That was wild. Joe (Pavelski) just kind of mentioned what the — that looks crazy on the scorecard, I saw the one — what was kind of leading up to it. Probably one of the best wings, good contact, it was right on the stick and even if you’re painting the flag and it looks good, you never really expect it to go in. And when it hit right next to the flag from our vantage point, the crowd around the tee box, they kind of went crazy. It was before it went in, and that kind of drowned out the reaction from the green. All I just saw was a bunch of hands go up and then you just kind of blackout, celebrate. Crazy shot, especially in a tournament like this, in that atmosphere. I’m still coming down from the adrenaline rush. That was nuts.
ACC spokesperson 1:07
That was one of the things we were going to ask too is, it was like after that you hit a little bit of a lull and we were thinking, ‘Hey, was that the ace do that to you? Were you just still so pumped up that it was, like, man, I gotta get back to where I –?
Steph Curry 1:19
For sure. You’re already, because we don’t get to play as many tournaments throughout the year, like, this is the one where you all your attention and focus and energy’s put towards, so you’re already trying to control your adrenaline and your nervousness and excitement anyway. And you add that to it and I think I did a hundred and — whatever — fifty yard sprint and then about a 75-yard back before I got to — my play-in partners, I got to celebrate with them. Alex (Killorn) still had to hit afterwards and he he had a great shot too. We thought there might be one on top of the other, but I’m actually glad I held it together for the most part in the middle of the round. It was a couple of bad shots. I had a bad break on a par three, but then to come back and finish even the last five holes, six holes, for me that’s the most I’m impressed with for the day after the hole-in-one just because it could have gone all over the place with where my excitement level was.
ACC spokesperson 2:28
Well, we saw that your hat came off, you kind of hit your head a couple of times with both hands in disbelief and then you’re on your back and Roger Maltey was trying to interview you. I was dead tired, that’s what happened. We’re in the middle of summer training and all that, so I’m still getting some work in, getting ready for the basketball season, but not to sprint like that, so I had to catch my breath. I think you had Yusef a little tired too. He had to make a decision which way How far is he going to run all the way down? Down the course or me down the hole? But yeah, it was great. All right, congratulations on a great shot and another great round. By the way, that’s the fifth hole-in-one in tournament history and the first one on No. 7, so congratulations on that. Why don’t we open it up to the media for your Q&A. Here we go.
Dave Leonardi 3:10
Steph, Dave Leonardi Skier News and Always Upright Podcast. Have you ever hit a hole-in-one before in any play?
Steph Curry 3:16
That was my second in my life. I had one at Half Moon Bay, the ocean course, the third hole. Same club, though, so the pitching wedge is nice for me.
Dave Leonardi 3:26
Wow.
Steph Curry 3:28
So that’s number two. I tied my dad now, too. That’s nice. He’s had two. I got to see one of his. So now we’re tied.
Dave Leonardi 3:38
Excellent. And how do you prepare for tomorrow?
Steph Curry 3:42
Hang out, watch some golf on TV, jump in the lake. Pops is cooking. We’re having a good night. That’s it. Stay away from the game, just because you’re already kind of exhausted of being focused for those five hours we’re out there. So, get away from it, get ready for tomorrow.
Dave Leonardi 4:00
You had 27 in first round, 23 today, I believe. Another 23 or 27 will put you in the mid 70s. So that’s a lot of points better than Tony (Romo)’s winning score of 62. So good luck tomorrow — last year’s winning score of 62.
Steph Curry 4:15
Oh, yeah. Thank you very much.
Dave Leonardi 4:16
Good luck.
Steph Curry 4:16
Appreciate it.
Unknown 4:18
Steph, I was following you on the front nine and on 6, your second shot, you almost jammed that also. I thought it was going in the cup, probably two or three feet, right before. Was that the precursor to 7?
Steph Curry 4:29
Yeah, I hit a really good one there. It literally was six inches behind the flag and kind of popped a foot below it. So it’s one of those you get into a rhythm, you hit the shots that you’re seeing, and they start painting the flag. Like I said, you don’t really expect it to go in. It’s one of those you can play golf forever and it’s kind of a luck of the bounce if it’s gonna go the right way or not. But to have two of those shots in a row, one of them go in. It was special for sure. Probably a golf highlight. Hopefully I’ll have another highlight tomorrow. At the end of the round, but definitely the best golf moment I’ve had playing this game.
Golf reporter 5:10
And I know you’ve had this for many years up here but having so many fans rooting for you, do you feel like that’s an added advantage going into tomorrow?
Steph Curry 5:19
Yes and no, I don’t have any type of home course advantage or any know-how more than Mardy or Joe. They’ve both been in a final group on Sunday. Mardy’s won one. I know Joe was in the playoff last year. So I haven’t been in that experience before but all I’m gonna do is just have fun and play. In your head you kind of have to imagine that you’re just playing around at your home course. It’s just a little bit more people watching. That’s kind of the mindset and mind tricks you have to play on yourself because you don’t want to get too ahead of yourself knowing — you don’t wanna be scoreboard-watching. Thankfully we’ll all be in the same group so you can kind of keep tabs, but just just hit shots, have fun, don’t put too much pressure on yourself and it’s a long day, so you kind of have to pace yourself.
Golf reporter 6:03
Yeah.
Laurie Leonardi 6:06
Laurie Leonardi, Skier News. You said you were in a lull after the ace and then how did you bring yourself back? What were you thinking?
Steph Curry 6:14
That’s where I can tap into basketball, for sure. Just the mental toughness to acknowledge you had a bad stretch, bad shot. That doesn’t mean you can’t course-correct right in that moment. So a birdie on 14 which historically has been a tough hole for me, for whatever reason, to birdie that one and kind of right the ship a little bit. I missed a four-footer on 17 which is the only other bogey other than that. I was extremely proud of the ability to kind of bounce back knowing things didn’t go my way for that five-hole stretch after the hole-in-one. My last hole-in-one — or my first on — I tripled afterwards, so literally the next hole, so I’m getting better.
Laurie Leonardi 6:58
Yes.
Anthony Flores 6:59
Hey Steph, Anthony Flores with NBC Bay Area. Speaking of basketball, you played in the Game 7 just this last postseason. How much can you draw off that experience and bring it to the golf course, in terms of having a good night’s sleep? And not overthinking everything and what’s ahead tomorrow?
Steph Curry 7:15
I think just being in those situations where the stakes are high, you want something really bad and you have to kind of sleep on the thoughts that you’re having about what might happen the next day. There’s a little bit of similarity, but for the most part when I wake up in the morning and come to the course again, you have to kind of treat it like a normal round. But I’m sure I’ll have some kind of anxiousness and jitters, just because you’re kind of out of your comfort zone a little bit, but that’s the beauty of this tournament for us amateurs and athletes from other sports, trying to exceed in this sport. That’s why people watch and love to see us out here grinding, so I’m excited about it because anytime you come in here, you just want a chance to win. Your expectations change when you start to play well. But just to have an opportunity to be in the final group with a small lead, that’s what I came here to do.
Anthony Flores 8:17
And you watch golf, you’ve watched the replays, how would you rate your post-hole-in-one celebration compared to others?
Steph Curry 8:24
I’ve only seen it for, like — I only saw it on 17 a blurry kind of video of it, but I just know the sprint was phenomenal, great form. I had a couple moments to celebrate, but the hat came off, the glove went off, I tried to get the crowd into it. Yeah, I don’t know what my speed was, but it was up there. It was good.
Golf reporter 8:50
A quick follow up on on that one from Anthony. In your (golf) career, because I know you’re still riding the adrenaline rush, but how does that rank in adrenaline rushes throughout your career.
Steph Curry 9:03
Number One, for sure, Number One. Even my first hole-in-one was kind of a casual round. I was with some buddies. You still get super-excited. I saved the ball. I did the same thing, actually, now that I think of it. I ran down the hole right away. But just in that environment, on that hole, it’s a good atmosphere around there. I’m in the final group on a Saturday trying to hold the lead and play well and then that happens. So, Number One for sure.
Golf reporter 9:35
And how does that, with your overall basketball career and everything, how does that rank?
Steph Curry 9:40
It’s totally different. That’s my job. This is fun.
Golf reporter 9:46
Yep.
ACC spokesperson 9:47
Hey Steph, another one. Tomorrow, you go into the final round, 3-point lead over Joe Pavelski, who’s been almost there last year, got in the playoff. Mardy, who’s won it before and he’s a good buddy of yours, does that feel — it’ll probably all three of you in the last group together — how does that feel, playing with guys like that, that are friends of yours and any other additional pressure?
Steph Curry 10:12
No additional pressure. It helps to know my history. I’m great friends with both of them. I’ve played in groups with them before. Joe played in the Bay with San Jose (Sharks) for a long time, so we crossed paths at a course that we used to play down there. So I’m very familiar with both of them. I think that will help, just kind of calming the nerves, just to know you got two great guys, that we’re gonna have a great time. We’re all competitive. We’re all trying to win. But I think the flow of the group will be great. And again, you can’t think about the 18th hole tomorrow. You kind of just — that shot at a time mentality or whatever it is — that has to be the approach to it because it’s unfamiliar territory. So I’m excited for the experience.
ACC spokesperson 11:00
You know, on the first tee yesterday you were introduced with all your NBA plaudits and championships, and they ended up saying, ‘But he hasn’t won the big one, the American Century Championship —
Steph Curry 11:11
That was absolutely accurate, too.
ACC spokesperson 11:15
So winning this thing would mean what to you?
Steph Curry 11:18
I mean everything I love the game. I’ve been coming here for — I think this is like number 10 or 11 maybe — and from a basketball perspective, I think Vinny (Del Negro) was the first one that got it done a couple of years ago. Being an active athlete trying to exceed or excel out here in your offseason. All that stuff put into it, super-competitive, super-passionate about the game. I look forward to this week every year, so it would mean a lot. And just knowing that you have the ability to do it and we’ll see what happens.
ACC spokesperson 11:56
All right, Jack, go ahead.
Jack 11:58
How are you doing today, Steph.
Steph Curry 11:59
Doing great. I you know,
Jack 12:00
I’m spectacular. That’s the new word, spectacular. I want to know about the your symbol on your hat and how can I and everybody else help promote that?
Steph Curry 12:11
Oh, this is the Curry Brand. I’ve been with Under Armour since 2013. And we launched Curry Brand back in 2020. So it’s a brand that’s about changing the game for good and finding ways to unlock potential and a lot of different areas and that’s what we’re about. So it’s exciting to know, got the branch into the golf space too. We got apparel, footwear, hats, all that type of stuff. And then obviously in basketball and lifestyle, it’s been cool to form something that people can be a part of. So —
Jack 12:51
So how can we buy this?
Steph Curry 12:52
CurryBrand.com.
Jack 12:53
I’m sorry, say that again?
Steph Curry 12:55
CurryBrand.com.
Jack 12:55
Okay, cool. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
ACC spokesperson 12:58
Thanks, Jack. Steph, thanks again. Congratulations on a great round. Congratulations on the ace and we hope to see you in here again tomorrow. Thank you.
Golf reporter 13:06
Way to go, Ace!
TRANSCRIPT FRIDAY POST-RD1 LEAD
ACC spokesperson 0:02
Okay attention in the media room: we have our first round leader in the front of the room. Steph, we’re not gonna give you the introduction that we gave you yesterday. We’re just gonna say you’re leading the tournament, man. Congratulations. 27 points, four-point lead over Joe Pavelski. Tell us about your round.
Steph Curry 0:20
Historically for me I get off to slow starts and get better as the weekend goes on, whether it’s basketball or whether it’s getting into the tournament vibe or whatever it is, but I knew if I could just get off to a good start that I’d have a little bit more fun out there. The three-hole stretch at the beginning, birdie, birdie, eagle and was feeling good, didn’t feel nervous, anxious or anything. Hit one bad shot on five or six, whatever that was. Tried to go for the homerun shout out of the bunker, didn’t work out made double(-bogey), but the rest of the round, only had one other bogey. So it’s probably one of the better rounds I’ve played ever, considering it’s a tournament.
ACC spokesperson 1:05
I heard the second shot on four, you are in the tall weeds on the right, past the trees, a couple hundred yards out. Tell us about that one.
Steph Curry 1:13
That’s how golf goes. I sprayed it right off the tee. I played aggressive all day and had a decent lie, a decent line to the flag, knew where the misses were. And I actually — just like golf, there’s no room for commentary on the scorecard — I tried to hit it a little further left and it went right on line with the flag coming out of the trees and able to make the putt, so it was a good way to start the round and take a couple chances and see how it goes and it worked out.
ACC spokesperson 1:43
Your 27 points is the second best score you’ve had. You’ve had a 28 in the third round, final round, in 2017. But you mentioned that you shot 69 then and 69 today.
Steph Curry 1:55
Yeah, like I said, I’ve had rounds on Sunday where I’ve played pretty well and started to peak but I was not in contention and all that, so this is a very new and better experience getting off to a better start. I’m trying to go into all the sound bites that I hear from all the tour pros about how they handle early success in a tournament because I know there’s a lot of golf left. Not getting too ahead of myself, but it is nice to be in it, be with a lead and kind of can settle in tomorrow and have some fun.
ACC spokesperson 2:32
Okay, why don’t we start the meeting and questions off, guys, if you’d like to line up next to the microphones coming or going.
Golf reporter 2:40
Steph, I’d heard you’ve been working on your grip and your posture a little bit. Obviously a little bit more time to prepare for this tournament than what you’re used to. How much has that helped, just to eliminate the two-sided miss or the two-way miss and how much does that help you be aggressive, like you talked about?
Steph Curry 2:57
It’s fascinating because I’ve been playing golf since I was 10. And I never really understood how to learn new techniques and fundamentals and how to put it — 1) having the time, but learning how to get better at the game, because I felt like I was the same golfer for like 8, 10 years. But I had a little bit of a window, started getting coaching which I never had up until last summer, and all it is is just kind of like how I approach basketball, you just put little blocks on top of each other and then eventually you find a pattern that you’re comfortable with and then, like, two simple swing thoughts that you can go out into a tournament type (of) environment and trust that the ball is gonna go where you want it to go. Again, golf is an everyday experience. So, gotta put it together tomorrow. But yeah, I had very simple thoughts today. Alex Riggs has been helping me. I talked to Butch (Harmon) a little bit. I saw him in a tournament and he went out of his way to give me some pointers, so it’s been fun to learn new things about the game and see it kind of pay off.
Golf reporter 4:01
And what was your shot of the day? Was it that shot on 4 or was it maybe the put on 12?
Steph Curry 4:06
That’s a hard — that’s hard to choose. The shot on 4, like, that — you get an eagle that early in the round — that’s only gives you ultimate confidence and juice. The putt on 12 was probably more fun, just because you didn’t really expect to make it, you’re just trying to get it down there somewhere close to trying to get a two-putt and then halfway, as it’s going down the hill, and it’s like, ‘Aw, that looks good. That looks good.’ And then I started to play — and I tried my best to do my basketball impersonation and turn around before it went in and it was fun.
ACC spokesperson 4:38
All right, Ron?
Ron Kroichick 4:40
Two questions: that putt on 12, I was standing behind you and you were aimed 15, 20 feet right at the hole. What was the adrenaline like, as you just said, as you saw it, sort of crawling and turning toward the hole?
Steph Curry 4:52
I’ve seen guys — like that’s probably the best putt I’ve ever made in my life. But I’ve seen — I wanted to just walk over there to make sure I knew which way the putt went because I was expecting it to go past for the comebacker. And then like you said, just see it on-line and then you start to feel the anticipation of it going in. But it was fun. The visualization, creativity out here, you never know when it’s gonna work out but that one fortunately did because there’s no other way I could have made unless I hit that pin square on and went in. It was beautiful.
Ron Kroichick 5:26
And what is tomorrow gonna be like to start the weekend with the lead. Like you said, that’s a new experience for you. How did you sort of manage your emotions and adrenaline and all that going into tomorrow?
Steph Curry 5:39
I try to go home and just get away from it in terms of just having fun with the crew that comes up here for the week with me. I’m not gonna work on anything right now, just try to get rest. Because you realize the more that you’re in contention, like I felt that all the whole round today, there’s no breaks mentally. It’s a fun experience but it’s exhausting. I have even more respect what they do out on tour, to be able to stay locked in for four-and-a-half hours and to do it four round. Hopefully I only have to do it three, thankfully, so yeah, just get away from it and not obsess about the game. Just start over tomorrow.
Golf reporter 6:21
Someone has to ask a silly question. How do your father and brother and you coordinate your (outfits)?
Steph Curry 6:29
Well, thankfully I have the blessing to be able to wear my own stuff which is cool. I got a Curry Brand and Under Armour gear on and we got some suggestions from the team that UA and Curry Brand Golf to put the pieces together. And then we changed up our shoes so everybody had on different different kicks but the fits, it’s kind of become a tradition. American Century, they do a do us a favor by putting all three of us together and I think the last three years and it’s fun for us to have those experiences. I get a lot of hilarious comments from fans as they’re walking down the fairways, even for me and my brother. Somebody yelled out, ‘I’m sure your mom used to dress you up, like, when you’re a kid,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, except now we actually like it.’ So it’s a cool experience for all of us to share these memories, playing golf and the outfits are part of it.
Golf reporter 7:28
Hopefully you might stay dry this year. [Probably a reference to the annual bet which has traditionally been jumping into Lake Tahoe, but that Curry said yesterday — probably unbeknownst to the reporter — the family had decided against doing as it had become “played out”.]
Steph Curry 7:45
Yeah, hopefully. [Humble response, probably not realizing the reference in the spur of the moment.]
Golf reporter 7:49
Everybody’s talking about your childhood. You mentioned playing when you were a kid, and I wondered, playing with your dad and all, was there a course when you were growing up that made you love the game? The course when you think about learning when you were a kid, is there one event that you that you think of and takes you back to that?
Steph Curry 7:54
Yeah, it’s where I learned to play. It’s called the Charlotte Golf Links. It’s not — it doesn’t exist anymore. There’s the public track like 10 minutes from my house and my parents used to drop me off. I was that kid, like after basketball season was over, middle school and high school, I’d go walk 36 holes and just be at the course all day. But yeah that’s the — it’s sad that it’s not an existence anymore, but that was the course that I learned how to play and I had a lot of early experiences with the game.
Golf reporter 8:26
Did you ever get a chance to play at other than that originally when you were a kid?
Steph Curry 8:29
When I went to Davidson. That’s when they turned it into a commercial development. I dropped a tear when that happened, for sure.
Golf reporter 8:40
Copy that. Thanks.
ACC spokesperson 8:42
Hey, Steph, just looking at the leaderboard, we don’t have some of the traditional favorites at the top. Pavelski is the next behind you at 23 and obviously he was in the playoff last year. And when you scroll down the list, we see a tie for seventh with one Dell Curry. And then Mardy Fish is tied with your dad. Jack Wagner is 17th, so any additional pressure, you think? I mean you guys — or does it feel better having guys at the top that maybe haven’t been there before?
Steph Curry 9:10
I mean, it’s interesting, but I do know how quickly things can change. I think there was a time Mark Mulder at one point was well out of contention and then went, I think he went like eagle, birdie, birdie, something down the stretch and crazy things can happen. So it’s nice that there’s some fresh blood out there. I know personally, six of the top ten and I’ve played golf with them outside of this venue before. Joe Pavelski played for the Sharks for so long. so we were crossing paths. a lot. Play with Bret Baier before, know him very well, and obviously Mardy. It’s cool to see new names out there but like you said, 36 more holes to go and just gotta enjoy whoever you’re playing with tomorrow and enjoy the round. Okay. Any other questions we have? Okay, great. Fire away.
Golf reporter 10:05
So with Underrated (documentary) being dropped and coming out. It seems to me that you really fully embody this ‘underrated’ type of mindset. Is there any advice to the high school kids out there that might feel underrated or in your type of shoes?
Steph Curry 10:24
Just be grateful, even this time and new sports and recruiting and all that, they’ll find you. If you have the the skillsets and continue to develop your work ethic and maintain your confidence, no matter what eyeballs are on you or not, you kind of have to run your own race and believe that, in due time, all the work will pay off. What’s for you will be for you, so for me, I grew up in North Carolina and always wanted to play in the ACC and I didn’t get that opportunity because there were no scholarship offers available. And I played in the Southern Conference and loved my experience at Davidson and it was the right fit for me. And obviously the rest is history. So like I said, run your own race. It’s a beautiful thing about sports that there’s a little something for everybody. And when you find out what that is, that’s when great things happen.
ACC spokesperson 11:23
Dave, last question, if you would, please.
Golf reporter 11:25
Steph, I’m not sure what Barkley did today, but do you think he’s going to do his under 70 score?
Steph Curry 11:31
All right, you gotta scroll down on that thing (points to computer monitor). How far? Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going. Where is he?
ACC spokesperson 11:41
We’re still looking!
Steph Curry 11:43
Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going? Alright, we got something to work with, Chuck! We got something to work with today.
ACC spokesperson 11:54
Two commentator friends. He’s 79th.
Steph Curry 12:01
79th. You right there. You gotta go play well. We both trying to accomplish our goals this week. So let’s get it done.
ACC spokesperson 12:08
Thank you, Steph. Good luck tomorrow. Thank you.
Q&A TRANSCRIPT THURSDAY:
ACC spokesperson 0:00
Do you want to have him sit down We, good? Ready. Thank you attention in the media room. We have a special guest with us this afternoon: four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, MVP of the 2022 NBA Finals, nine-time All-NBA selection, a golfer with a zero handicap, and activist, entrepreneur, humanitarian, a man who definitely walks the walk and talks the talk. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the favorite guys we have here in the tournament, Mr. Stephen Curry. Steph, welcome.
Steph Curry 0:55
Thank you very much. Did we get that recorded? I need that —
ACC spokesperson 0:59
It is recorded.
Steph Curry 1:00
That was as an amazing introduction. Thank you.
ACC spokesperson 1:02
Well, thank you. Hey, we’ve got a lot of folks that want to ask some questions. I want to get the media folks up here to fire away first and let’s get rockin and rollin but one question Steph. You know, a lot of guys have been asking. Hey, they’re thinking you’ve had a little bit more time to prepare your golf game this year. Mardy Fish on media day said, ‘Well, Steph’s not playing with Justin Timberlake because Justin can’t make it, so he might be concentrating a little bit more.’ So tell us what you think about your chances for the American Century championship?
Steph Curry 1:35
Yeah, I’m always excited to be here. I love the event so much. It’s become kind of a family tradition with now me, my dad and my brother in the field, a teammate Andre Iguodala here, so there’s a lot of familiarity with the surroundings and just the energy that all the fans who come out and support it bring. I’m obviously very confident in my game, every time I come out here. Just a matter of can you hit shots. One thing I’m gonna do is I’m gonna have fun first and foremost and enjoy the competitive environment out there. I think the key for me is, obviously, just hopefully getting off to a good start so I keep myself in it and hopefully with the unfortunate extra time that I had with the playoffs ending a little sooner than I wanted to, the golf game will benefit from it, so we’ll see how it goes.
ACC spokesperson 2:34
Okay, Dan, you want to fire away?
Dan Hinxman 2:36
Yes, if I may. Hello, Steph. Yeah, Dan Hinxman, I do stories for the tournament here. This might be a little bit of a reach, but your good performances here, usually the following year, you’ve done really well in the NBA Finals. Is there anything to that?
Steph Curry 2:57
Well, yeah, because that means that I probably — I don’t know if I’m following the pattern right — but last year, we won a championship and probably three weeks before I came here, which is a quick turn around. Year prior, I had plenty of time to kind of knock the cobwebs off and play a little bit more before I came up here so I like that cycle: don’t win a championship in the league, play well here, then go back and win another championship out there on the court. Hopefully I can manifest that for the next, what, 11 months? That’d be awesome.
Dan Hinxman 0:30
And then another one that again — a little bit of a reach perhaps — when MJ was here when, he used to play here, he said that when he retired from basketball, he would eventually win this. Of course he had other things kind of take his attention away. But do you sense maybe that that might be something? Is that a, I don’t know, a legitimate thing, you think?
Steph Curry 0:52
Honestly, I feel like the way I kind of approach it, I feel like where my game is, is I have the game to win it now. 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 just a matter of kind of 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. So my goal has always been to try to do it as an active NBA athlete. I got a few more years left to do it. So let’s see how it goes.
Dan Hinxman 1:27
And this next question was from yesterday. Did we have the long drive yet? Or is that today?
Steph Curry 1:32
Oh, I won by one yard. I’m telling you, I beat Patty Mahomes by one yard. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the afternoon wave but I got him. I got him by yard.
Dan Hinxman 1:43
Is that important for you? To win that?
Steph Curry 1:45
I swung like it. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Dan Hinxman 1:49
Thank you.
ACC spokesperson 1:49
A couple of quick notes. Dan, you brought up a pretty good point. As far as an active player, only one active player has ever won this tournament and that was Mario Lemieux many years ago. And I know Joe Pavelski came close last year with —
Steph Curry 2:04
He was in the playoffs, right?
ACC spokesperson 2:05
Right. He was in the playoff. One other note real quick before we get to the next questions, and I know we’ve got some folks that are on the phone as far as the Zoom call. We’re going to take questions here first, then we’re going to get to the Zoom call, folks. So hang in there with us. All right. Chris, would you like to step up? [Zoom call cuts out again]
Steph Curry 2:56
Obviously Denver winning. They’re a very complete team and they played amazing. Jokic is awesome, Jamal Murray. So every other team is trying to make adjustments and trying to get better, like, even when you when you try to get better every year and some moves may seem drastic. Some might be a little fine tweaks but I think every team was trying to take stock of what they have. And for us it was about trying to make the pieces fit a little bit better, to try to give us more versatility on both sides of the ball. And we understand our core is back and adding CP, some other vets that can really help us fill out the rotation and increase our depth. We had two young guys who are in their third year, JK and Moses Moody, who are going to have huge opportunities to take another step in their career. So that’s where we are and we feel like our team makes a lot more sense this year. It’s just a matter of, again, going out and playing, letting the season kind of unfold and understand what we need to do to beat the best in the West. There’s a lot of good teams and we want to be one of them.
NBA reporter 2:57
What do you think about the midseason tournament and the idea of single-elimination knock-out type stuff in the NBA, not something that we’ve seen before?
Steph Curry 3:59
It’s fun for fans that have something else, something new to kind of lock-in on especially early in the year. For us. It doesn’t change the regular season schedule in terms of the amount of games we’re playing. Just the championship game that there’s a lot on the line, monetarily, the trophy, the narrative of who’s kind of the best team in the early part of the season. So it’s something different. The venue in Vegas will be fun for a lot of fans that come in just for those two, the semifinals and the championship game. But it’ll take an identity of its own over time. It’s hard to kind of predict what it’s going to feel like or look like from a fan perspective, a player perspective. But I think for us as players you know, unless you’re in the championship game playing for the prize money and the trophy and the pride and all that, it’s still 82 games, so it’s just under a different narrative.
Tabby Dozier 5:26
Tabby with Tabby Dozier Enterprises update on Underrated? I saw some really good social posts with your nonprofit traveling with them this summer, empowering youth, increasing access to golf. Just would love an update from you.
Steph Curry 5:36
Hey, we’re currently in our second year. We increased the field that is coming to each venue that we have from 48 to 96 now, and that’s equal across both the boys and girls. Fields that we have, we have some amazing courses that are hosting our tournaments. We were at the Park in West Palm Beach. Last week we were at Firestone in Akron. They’re going to [inaudible] in Las Vegas, Chambers Bay in Washington and then they’re coming down for the Tour Championship at Lake Merced in San Francisco. So increasing the field and obviously championship venues that are giving kids a first-class experience. It’s been an amazing journey so far. We’ve had some amazing partners that have been a part of making this a success. DJ Khaled came out to a stop and gave the kids a lot of good energy. Had Butch Harmon come to a stop in Vegas to talk to the kids. We had Gil Hanse come talk to the kids about course design and just his experience in the industry. So it’s the competitive atmosphere that we give them, the competitive experience, but also trying to instill in them some of the life skills and workforce skills that can help them even if they can’t, or if the if professional golf is not in their future. But we also hope that there’s a few they can crack the professional tours and get more representation on the tour.
Tabby Dozier 7:25
No doubt. And then just a life question. July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. I think about all of the hats and the roles that you wear: dad, son, champion, your job, but black men don’t often have a space to say hey, I’m not okay, hey, I’m not doing well. I would just love for you to speak to that because I don’t think there’s anything stronger than saying I’m not doing okay. What do you feel?
Steph Curry 7:54
.All that needs to be the access to therapy or outlets that can help through tough times or even just developing the right perspective on the challenges that life throws at you. Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan in our league have been huge champions of promoting self-help and self-care and mental wellness and mental health. My sister’s a huge proponent and champion of mental health awareness and has used a lot of her platform to speak on that. So no matter what background you have or what industry you’re in, or what level of success you’ve had, you have to take that seriously and you have to find the right space to deal with life and all the highs and lows. But yeah, it needs to be talked about more and I think it is.
Tabby Dozier 8:49
Good. Thank you.
Cam, NBA.com 8:52
Hey, Steph. Cam from NBA.com here. Are there any lessons you take from basketball and apply to golf and vice-versa? Are there any lessons from golf that you apply to basketball?
Steph Curry 9:03
The ‘next shot mentality’ is huge. You’ve got to have a short memory on both basketball court and golf. Obviously, basketball is a little bit more reactive. So you don’t have much time to dwell on what’s going on in golf. You have a long walk from the next shot to the next shot to deal with the thoughts that’s going on between the ears, but that next-shot mentality, you have to have a bit of amnesia out there. But also in both sports, when you find that flow, just to be able to stay in that space for as long as you can and enjoy it and lock-in to whatever’s producing the right shots, the right visuals that you need to see and, for me, when that ball is hitting the net every time, there’s no better feeling in either sport. Golf’s a little bit harder to find it. So you’ve got to be a little bit more patient and deal with how the game of golf can humble you. So I think those are probably the biggest similarities for me.
Cam, NBA.com 10:01
Yeah, nice. You’ve achieved a great deal in the golf space. You just won the Ambassador of Golf Award, funded the Howard (University) golf program and you founded the Underrated Golf Tour. What are you most proud of among your achievements in golf?
Steph Curry 10:12
I think just the fact that I’ve turned a passion — I started playing when I was 10 and for a long time, it’s just about me playing and who I got to play with and seeing how much better I could get at the game and maybe showing up as a member guest or two and now to turn that passion into creating opportunity. You just mentioned four amazing, either entities or honors, that I’ve had. The fact of being recognized for that effort so soon because I feel like I just got started on this journey of creating opportunity, scholarships, a platform for especially black and brown kids around the country that need to get golf clubs in their hands a lot earlier in life and developing a pipeline for them to pursue golf at the highest level, but also get access to the world of golf that we all have benefited from in some way, shape or form because we’re all here. That’s what I’m most proud of, I guess, and in general because it’s not easy to do. And I’ve had a lot of great people and partners and sponsors and brands that have joined this mission with me. So I’m excited about where we are in the future.
Cam, NBA.com 11:30
I was talking to Butch Harmon the other day about your session with him out of Cypress Point. And he was saying the biggest key for you is kind of calming the nerves when you play in the tournament tomorrow into the weekend. Can you compare the nerves that you feel stepping up to the first tee tomorrow at a competitive golf tournament to playing in a high-pressure situation like the NBA Finals?
Steph Curry 11:50
I think I’ve said it before, I get way more nervous on the first tee of any life event than basketball. I still get butterflies and all that on the court but that’s my happy place. And as much as I think I’m preparing for the American Century Championship I still know I don’t know all the ins and outs of what it means to learn the game at the highest level and it’s a never-ending journey on that front. So it’s no surprise that on the first tee. The adrenaline rush that you get through the four hours and some change that you’re out there, I love it. Me and Klay played in The Match against Kelce and Mahomes and Klay, I talked to him after. He’s like, ‘I hadn’t felt that much adrenaline in a very long time.’ So it’s something about this game, man. I don’t know how to explain it. But it brings a lot out of you.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 12:48
Hey Steph, good to see you again. Mike Stefansson here with Nevada Sports Net. A few really quick ones. First of all that one you hit on 13 last year, 97 yards out, splashed it in, would you say that is the greatest golf shot you’ve ever hit and also would you admit how many times you’ve watched that video?
Steph Curry 13:04
It’s 1b to my only hole-in-one. But obviously, 1b just because it was in a tournament and it was out here and I just love this place and the reaction I got from the crowd. I watched it probably 40 times that day. And I’ve probably watched it that many times since. The people — all my guys, my dad, brother, everybody who’s staying at the condo with us, they’re probably sick of hearing the highlight, the volume and the commentary just because of how many times I’ve watched it. But again, it’s an out-of-body experience on that one. That’s a great clip to have in your arsenal. If you could pluck a power from any of your fellow competitors, who would you want to steal an attribute from? I’ve asked a lot of people this. A lot of said you’re — Mardy Fish is — in golf?
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 13:51
I’m saying actually in respective professions. Yeah, so would you want Alfonso Ribero’s dance moves or something like that?
Steph Curry 13:57
Oh, I want to answer it golf terms. I want Mardy Fish’s tempo. Just because I just love watching him swing. Oh, he’s right there! Look at that! That was not planned at all. That was not planned at all. It’s the sweetest tempo I’ve ever seen, Big Fella.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 14:28
A lot options.
Steph Curry 14:30
The only one Saturday of 2021? 2020, sorry.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 14:36
That 63.
Steph Curry 14:37
Only for four hours. Uhh, probably — I don’t know. We’re close in that respect, but I still just love watching him play, Mahomes’s creativity. Just the way he sees the game. I feel like everything’s in slow motion. He’d probably say the same about me, but I love watching him play.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 14:58
If I was to be asked that question, I’d say I’d take your bank account, but that’s alright, I don’t get that option.
Steph Curry 15:03
That’s fair.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 15:04
Last one. If it’s not going to be you, who would you like to see get this thing done come Sunday afternoon?
Steph Curry 15:16
Wardell Stephen Curry I. Dell Curry.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 15:20
Okay.
Steph Curry 15:21
I’d like to see — we call him The Originator. I’d like to see him get it done. Sorry, Mardy.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 15:26
If you don’t mind, I did want to ask you one quick one because we had your pops for media day via Zoom. He did mention the car right you guys take over and that’s when the bet is determined. Curious what the bet is. But I also I did ask him about both Caleb and Cody Martin, two guys that we covered down in Reno for the University of Nevada, Carolina guys of course. Pops was with them at Charlotte. Caleb just played in the Finals. Do you cross paths with those guys? What do you think about their respective games, if you know much about them?
Steph Curry 15:48
I’ve played against both of them. They’re amazing athletes. They have a toughness and a grit to them. Obviously, the ability to make it in this league, especially at the wing position, is extremely difficult and you have to kind of have that toughness and know-how. And I’m sure they’ve come a long way from when y’all covered them back in college. What was the first question, I forgot?
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 16:17
Well, I guess do you have the bit in place?
Steph Curry 16:18
Oh, yeah. We’re still working on massaging out the handicaps in the sense (that) I spot both of them points. I think right now, the soft agreement is I’m giving my dad 12 points total and my brother 45. So I’ve got to play well. I gotta play well.
Mike Stefansson, Nevada Sportsnet 16:42
Hey, good luck to you. And we always appreciate you doing this because we know you don’t have to. So thank you, man.
Steph Curry 16:45
Absolutely.
ACC spokesperson 16:47
All right. We thank you for that one question. All right, we’re gonna we’re gonna go to the Zoom callers right now and fire away. Let’s see what we got. Okay, hey, Stefan. Stefan Bondy? You’re up.
Steph Curry 17:02
I bet it’s Steven, watch.
Stefan Bondy 17:03
Nah, it’s Stefan. It’s actually Stefan.
Steph Curry 17:05
Ah! No way! How do you spell it?
Stefan Bondy 17:06
Yeah, yeah. S-T-E-F-A-N. When people ask me, I say you pronounce it just like Steph Curry.
Steph Curry 17:13
There you go.
Stefan Bondy 17:15
So I do cover the Knicks and I’m in New York. So I got a Donte DiVincenzo question for you. What are some of the things he did for you guys and just what are your thoughts on him signing with the Knicks?
Steph Curry 17:28
Super-happy, super-proud of him. We had a good conversation last off-season, when he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do. I know he was coming off of injury and trying to find a situation that could help him establish who he is as an NBA player and how much value he brings to winning teams and he proved that above and beyond with us all year. He knows how to play the game. You can tell he won at the highest level in college and the Knicks got a good one and I’m happy that he got his fair share of that CBA too. So it was good.
Stefan Bondy 18:01
Alright. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
ACC spokesperson 18:03
Okay, we have Ian Begley. Ian, let’s hear your voice.
Ian Begley 18:08
Hey, Steph. I’m also here in New York. So I have a follow-up on Donte DiVincenzo. I bet you didn’t think you had two Donte questions coming today. But how did he impact you guys and what’s your impression of him after spending a season with him?
Steph Curry 18:26
He’s all about basketball. He’s all about winning. And he brings great energy to the locker room. I used to call him The Vet even though he’s still on the younger side, just because he has that kind of spirit about him. And he plays way beyond his years. He’s good on both sides of the ball. He can playmake better than most people probably realize. So he fills a lot of holes on a team and he’s not selfish in the respect of I know he wants to start and be that guy, but he also understands where value can be created on on a team no matter what the role you’re asked to do is. And he bought in right away and he got he got rewarded for it.
Ian Begley 19:11
Thank you.
Unknown 19:14
Okay, do we have Brian Jones? Did you have a question? I guess not. I think that’s about it. Hey Steph, we did that one more for you though.
John Smoltz 19:32
Steph, what’s more pressure, hitting a game-winning three or beating your dad in this tournament?
Steph Curry 19:37
Uhh, more pressure? Beating my dad in this tournament because a game-winning three, like it’s all confidence. You let it go, you live with the results. But I’ve made two — it had nothing to do with the outcome of the tournament — but I had two clutch putts and two clutch holes on 18 to beat my dad in years past and I’ve gotten more joy out of those than a couple game-winners for sure, too. Thanks for calling in and we’ll see you next year.
ACC spokesperson 20:03
John Smoltz, we appreciate that. Thank you very much. All right. Hey, Graham. Graham, I think you’re up. Fire away, man.
Graham 20:11
Awesome. Thanks, Steph. Thanks for taking the time. Just kind of following up on that question, what are like the text conversations looking like between you and your dad going into this thing and coming out of it, as far as that friendly fire sort of thing coming out of a tournament like this?
Steph Curry 20:24
So last year, we used to have the Lake bet which kind of died off a little bit but what I did to replace it, I made these heavyweight championship belts for the — I forget what I put on there — but it’s the Curry golf belt that whoever one of the three of us wins gets to take the belt for the year and the caddy gets one, too. So all we get is just pictures of where that belt is in his house for over the past year. He has a nice little spot on his mantle that he put it up so I get all those pictures just to remind us who’s got the belt and he’s the reigning champ.
Graham 21:02
You’re talking WWE style belt?
Steph Curry 21:04
Oh yeah. Big Boy, like the Canelo type, you know, walking in the ring. It’s got some good weight to it too. So you might see it on a 18th green on Sunday for one of us to take. If one of us is not winning the tournament, we’ll have our own championship belt presentation.
Graham 21:22
Looking forward to it. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
ACC spokesperson 21:25
Okay, Steph 12-to-1 odds you are going off at the Caesars Sportsbook. What do you think of when you’re out there? You’ve been off for a little while and how are you looking at your chances for this one this week?
Steph Curry 21:38
I’m very confident. Golf is so, you know, fickle that way, if that’s the word, just you never know what’s going to happen. Just come in with the right attitude and just try to have fun. Try to treat it like a tournament and understand how serious it is. But just try to have fun and play it like you would a normal round. For me, I’ve gotten better as the days go on. So if I can get off to a good start, give myself a chance to be in it and kind of feel that energy, then I feel like I’ll respond really well. Other than that hole-out on 13 last year, I had a rough two days to start and I finished strong. Just get off to a good start tomorrow and just have fun.
ACC spokesperson 22:16
All right. I think we’re done in here. Steph, thank you so much for coming in. We appreciate your time and good luck this week. All right.
DELL CURRY, VINNY DEL NEGRO
0:00 on if there’s any chance Seth, a free agent this summer, would want to join Steph: “Seth’s always been one of those guys that wanted to go his own way…write his own narrative…there will be a good market for Seth as a shooter…a longshot (to join Steph).”
0:33 on the Warriors season that just finished
1:58 on their ACC caddies being competitive
2:19 on how many more years Steph has left: “I don’t see him slowing down… several more years before you see any sort of fall-off.”
3:47 on what the Warriors need to do going forward: “all about winning championships… keep your core together… find ways to improve your bench play.”
5:07 on watching the Finals: rooting for former Charlotte Hornet Caleb Martin
5:48 on the physicality of the NBA now vs then: “you could say Steph changed the game with his shooting… different kind of physicality and the players have to adapt… NBA players would adapt and play in any kind of era.”
6:42 Vinny Del Negro on NBA physicality
7:40 Del Negro: “You play Golden State, you think you’ve got a nice lead, you’re up 10 or 12 points and (snaps fingers) boom, within two minutes… Steph’s hit two, Klay’s hit one, a steal, Poole’s hit one and the game’s tied.”
8:45 more on the Warriors’ style: “their body and ball movement is constant… the less physicality, the more space Steph has, Klay has.”
9:31 on being in the zone in basketball vs golf
10:30 Dell: “As a 10-year-old, Steph, Vinny and myself never lost a shootaround game in Milwaukee. Still undefeated.”
10:44 Vinny on the Warriors’ upcoming season: “everyone thinks it’s easy… the Warriors are gonna be just fine… Klay… keep your core guys together… the ownership group is dedicated to winning. What they’ve done in the last ten years ranks as one of the best runs in history.”
13:38 Dell on the Warriors coming up: “great dynasty. It’s not over until it’s over… how do we get better and beat Denver… Looney. They’ve got a lot more left in them.”
14:42 on making the bets and the handicaps between the caddies, Dell, Steph and Seth and the winner getting WWE-type championship belts rather than jumping into the lake, which is “kinda played out.”
16:02 Mardy Fish jumps in to crack jokes at Dell
16:18 on Seth improving his golf game
[Paid subscribers, below is your two bonus videos and transcription…]
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