Stephen Curry will make his professional golf debut Thursday afternoon when he tees off in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Northern California. The odds are out, and yes, Curry has by far the longest odds of anyone in the field to take home a Web.com Tour title. No, that shouldn’t surprise you. Not at all.
If you’re not a regular golf fan, maybe you’re not intimately familiar with the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit where Curry will make his debut. But this won’t be Tim Tebow trotting out to Low-A baseball and smashing home runs. Web.com Tour players are still most likely far better than any golfer you’ve ever encountered, and the talent gulf between someone of Curry’s caliber and the worst player in the field at Stonebrae is still massive. Take, for example, Curry’s playing partner Stephan Jaeger. The German is one of the world’s top 200 players, has two Web Tour wins to his name this season, and shot 58 in the opening round of this event just last year.
Let’s not get it twisted: Curry is still a very good player. He reportedly carries around a 2.2 handicap index, played in the No. 1 spot for his high school team, and just tossed down a 68 in the final round of the American Century Championship a couple weeks back. He’s legitimately a fan of the game, too, admitting to watching the Euro Tour on many a Sunday morning like the most ardent members of golf Twitter. He gets what he’s up against, and having Curry as an ally is awesome for golf. His inclusion in the field is totally fine and good. This will probably be the most talked about Web Tour event of the season.
Is it completely possible to think Curry could make the cut this week? Nah! That’s because a 3-under made it last year at Stonebrae, and the course just stretches a touch over 7,100 yards. Curry is a good enough player to get hot over a random couple days and maybe sneak in. Is it likely? God no.
Don’t bet on him to make the cut. Don’t bet on him to win. Here are some more bets that might be worth taking though, courtesy of BookMaker.eu.
Will Steph Curry make the cut at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Yes +900
No -2500
Steph Curry’s highest score in any round at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 79.5
Under 79.5
Steph Curry’s lowest score in any round at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 76.5
Under 76.5
Steph Curry’s highest score on any hole at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 7
Under 7
Steph Curry’s lowest score on any hole at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 3
Under 3
How many birdies will Steph Curry card at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 2.5
Under 2.5
How many bogeys or worse will Steph Curry card at the 2017 Ellie Mae Classic?
Over 8.5
Under 8.5