Rozner: Steph Curry handles golf crossover with style

Dustin Johnson can dunk a basketball, throw a football 50 yards and Wayne Gretzky is part of his family.

And, yet, that hardly qualifies the world's No. 1 golfer to play in the NBA, NFL or NHL.

That's how ridiculous it is that Steph Curry can tee it up in a professional golf event and shoot matching 74s - only 8-over par for two days - missing the cut by 11 strokes.

Words cannot possibly describe how good - and absurd - that is.

The talk was of 20-over par and missing the cut by a couple dozen. That would still be exceptional for a talented amateur - with an index of less than 1 - who has never had to perform under tournament conditions.

The Vegas line was set at 80 for each round and the bet was that Curry wouldn't break that number either day as he teed it up in California at a Web.com Tour event known as the Ellie Mae Classic.

But after posting a pair of 74s, Curry had every right to crow.

"I'm extremely proud … because it could have gone either way," Curry told the media in Northern California. "It could have been all that 80s-90s talk I heard coming into the tournament.

"But I'm definitely proud to have a consistent effort for 36 holes and getting my feet wet. This is two days of golf I'll remember for a long time."

Big deal, right? Most people don't know or care about the Web.com Tour any more than they do the NBA's D-League.

But it is a big deal because there's 100 guys on the Web good enough to get their PGA Tour card for next season and win immediately.

It happens every year.

Already this season, 2016 Web grads who have won include Cody Gribble, Mackenzie Hughes, Wes Bryan, Cam Smith, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Grayson Murray.

That's just this year.

In total, Web alums have produced nearly 500 wins on the PGA Tour.

It's a big deal for Curry to walk out onto a course prepared to challenge players considered among the 300 best in the country and play well under that pressure with huge galleries following him.

It boggles the mind.

This isn't a Pro-Am. It's not charity event. It's not golf with famous friends on the weekend or during the offseason.

It's a professional tournament that determines the future of so many lives and careers, and Curry treated the opportunity - and the men who grind on Tour in relative anonymity - with complete respect, understanding the gift he was given and the difficulty Web players face.

The fact that Curry played in the tournament offended some - both in the field and in the media - and to a degree it's understandable, especially for those trying to earn a living in the game.

But those angry are being shortsighted. Sponsors' exemptions are precisely that, an opportunity for a sponsor to pick someone they believe will benefit the tournament.

And wow, has Curry ever been a boon to this event and a Tour desperately in need of attention and money.

It's great for the game when one of the most famous athletes in the world is completely obsessed with golf and wants to play every free moment he can squeeze out of an impossibly difficult schedule, filled with basketball, marketing and family.

That's all great for golf and this was a huge win for the Tour and for Curry.

But the real story is in how talented Curry must be and how he's able to translate his physical skills and mental toughness to the golf course.

Many other athletes have tried and fallen far short of Curry, who's only 29 and might be thinking of the possibilities after basketball.

"It's just crazy to have some buzz around the golfing world because I watch all those guys every single week," Curry said. "In your head, you're like, 'I wonder what it'd be like to be them for a day?'

"I hit some good shots and it gets you thinking if I had some to time to actually practice and pursue some coaching, I could take my game to the next level. Who knows?

"But I think I'll stay in my lane and just enjoy suiting up for the Warriors next year."

Curry talking in such terms leaves you wondering if someday he might like to get really serious about golf.

Talk about growing the game.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.