Last Updated: July 17, 2023, 12:28 IST
Basketball star Stephen Curry (Reuters)
Stephen Curry made an 18-foot putt for eagle on the final hole to win the American Century Championship, his first title in the celebrity tournament.
Steph Curry had a disappointing season with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors but he still managed to add another piece of silverware to his trophy cabinet this year after a hole-in-one helped him win a celebrity golf tournament.
The 35-year-old aced a 152-yard par three at the American Century Championship on Saturday, just the fifth in the history of the event held on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
Curry celebrated the hole-in-one by tossing away his cap and sprinting the length of the fairway, arms raised in celebration and soaking up the applause.
On Sunday, he drained a long eagle putt on the 18th to beat former tennis world number seven Mardy Fish, prompting chants of “MVP!”
“I don’t do this for a living, so it’s something you dream about,” Curry said. “I’ve been playing in this tournament for almost a decade and now I’ve got some hardware to show for it. It’s pretty special.”
“Knowing what the stakes were and accepting it, I’ve always dreamt of a situation like this on the 18th green in front of a crowd like that, to make the putt,” he said.
“You stick to the routine and have so much confidence in yourself … Thankfully it went in, which is insane. I’ve been playing for almost a decade, to finally get a win is pretty special.”
Curry is only the second basketball player to win the tournament since the 54-hole event began in 1990. Former Sacramento Kings guard Vinny Del Negro won in 2021 at the age of 54.
Joe Pavelski of the Dallas Stars was third with 66 points, former major league pitcher Mark Mulder was fourth and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was fifth, one spot ahead of LPGA Tour great Annika Sorenstam.
Former pitcher Derek Lowe was seventh and defending champion Tony Romo finished eighth.
Curry is the first Black winner of the tournament in its 34-year history. He becomes the fifth active athlete to win and the first since then-Tennessee Titans kicker Al del Greco in 2000. His first-place prize of $125,000 will be donated to charity because Curry is an amateur golfer.
Charles Barkley finished 81st in the 93-player field.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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