Austin Reaves checks in with Stephen Curry about the state of his golf game whenever the Los Angeles Lakers cross paths with the Golden State Warriors, but that doesn’t mean Reaves is doling out swing tips to the all-time shooting king.
The reticence from Reaves — nearly a scratch player with a golf-themed YouTube channel and TikTok page — has nothing to do with the untested competition between him and Curry for the claim of the NBA’s premier linksman. Instead, Reaves simply doesn’t think Curry, about a +1.3 handicap, needs his advice.
Here was my exchange with Reaves at practice on Wednesday, one day before the Lakers face the Warriors at Chase Center.
Have you had the chance to talk to Steph about golf?
“I have not. I ask him every time we play about how his swing is feeling. That’s about the most it goes to.”
No tips?
“Oh no, never. I’m sure he don’t struggle too much on the course.”
In 2018, Curry shot a 71 in a Korn Ferry Tour event. You may recall Steph’s memorable weekend last summer at the 2023 American Century Championship, when he sank a hole-in-one and an eagle putt to win the pro-am in Lake Tahoe.
In September, the 25-year-old Lakers guard boldly answered “me” when asked by ESPN’s Zach Lowe who the best golfer in the NBA is. Reaves told Lowe his handicap is about +2.0.
Steph carries as deep of a bag as anybody in the history of basketball. But can he pull off this trick?
