- Programming Note: Fans can watch Steph Curry play in the second round of the American Century Championship from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT live on NBC Bay Area and Peacock.
Steph Curry has yet to win the American Century Championship, and it's certainly an accolade the Warriors star hopes to add to his long list of achievements.
Curry has a pretty good chance heading into weekend play after finishing as the celebrity golf tournament's first-round leader with a score of 27 on Friday. But how will the four-time NBA champion handle the pressure moving forward?
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The avid golfer told reporters getting off to a hot start is a new experience for him in the tournament, and he has been listening to PGA Tour soundbites of professional golfers talking about how to handle early success. Curry added that there's a lot of golf left, and he isn't getting ahead of himself before his 9:51 a.m. tee time Saturday morning.
"I try to go home and just get away from it, in terms of just having fun with the crew that comes up here for the week with me," Curry said Friday of handling the pressure as the first-round leader. "I'm not going to work on anything right now, just try to get rest, because you realize the more that you're in contention, like I felt it the whole round today, there's no breaks, like mentally. It's a fun experience, but it's exhausting.
"Even more respect what they do out on Tour to be able to stay locked in for four-and-a-half hours and to do it four rounds. Hopefully I only have to do it three, thankfully. Just get away from it and not obsess about the game, just start over tomorrow."
After the Warriors' second-round elimination in the NBA playoffs, Curry had a bit more time to prepare for this year's tournament, held at Edgewood Tahoe Resort. In addition, the point guard began taking golf lessons last summer, he said.
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"It's been fun to learn new things about the game and see it kind of pay off," Curry said.
Sharks legend Joe Pavelski currently sits behind Curry at No. 2 on the leaderboard, and the other top golfers Friday, including Curry's dad Dell, aren't those typically atop the standings. Curry said that doesn't mean much to him, as golf can change with one swing of the club.
"Cool to see new names up there," Curry said. "But ... it's 36 more holes to go, and you just got to enjoy whoever you're playing with tomorrow and enjoy the round."
Pavelski and Curry are golfing together in Saturday's second round, along with Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Alex Killorn, who sits at No. 3 on the leaderboard.
But as Curry said, there's plenty of golf left to play. If there's anyone equipped to bring home another piece of hardware, however, it's the Warrior.