Four-time NBA champion Steph Curry bringing Underrated Golf to UK with Walton Heath to host event in May; Curry's initiative aims to make golf more diverse; "We have given these kids an amazing experience on the course, but what they take away off the course is as valuable, if not more"
Wednesday 20 March 2024 14:40, UK
NBA superstar Steph Curry is bringing his Underrated Golf tour to the UK for the first time, with Walton Heath to host an event in May.
Curry is a four-time NBA champion with Golden State Warriors and two-time MVP, having scooped the latter award back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
The 35-year-old has been passionate about golf since being introduced to the game at the age of 10 and Underrated aims to open up the game to young people from diverse communities.
Curry launched the initiative in the States two years ago and it is now heading for Europe, starting in Surrey between May 29-31.
He told Sky Sports: "There are certain barriers that exist - financial resources, access to courses, equipment, coaching.
"There is an inability for the vast majority of the population to keep up with their white counterparts, especially at the competitive range… getting left behind, not having access to certain tournaments and where sports can take you.
"[We wanted] to make golf resemble what our society looks like, create a much more impactful pipeline for kids who have the talent and drive but have not had the ability to pursue that.
"We have given these kids an amazing experience on the course, but what they take away off the course is as valuable, if not more. Golf is the vehicle to create meaningful change in their lives."
On his passion for golf, Curry added: "I started playing when I was 10 years old.
"I rode around on the golf cart, grabbed a putter and fell in love with the challenge of it, the creativity of it, the community of it.
"It has been my second love - and some would argue I love it more than basketball, how much I talk about it, how I am obsessed with it."
The top three boys and top three girls from season two of Underrated Golf have been invited to play at Walton Heath, with the winners in Surrey to earn automatic entry into the 2024 Curry Cup, the competition's tour championship.
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