Virginia Golfer Mar / Apr 2021 | Page 24

Charging

BY TOM ROBINSON

Ahead

WITH
HELP FROM STEPHEN CURRY ’ S FOUNDATION , E . J . WHITEN AND HOWARD UNIVERSITY ’ S GOLF PROGRAM MAKE THEIR SPRING DEBUT

Stephen Curry of the NBA ’ s Golden State Warriors had no connection to Howard University when he visited the Washington D . C . campus in January of 2019 . The two-time league MVP didn ’ t come to talk hoops , though . He was there to screen a documentary he helped produce , “ Emanuel ,” about the 2015 slaying of nine Black church members by a white supremacist in South Carolina .

Along with being widely considered the best long-range shooter in history , Curry is also an ambitious entrepreneur , philanthropist and , in his spare time , a really good golfer . He ’ s played in two Korn Ferry Tour events , has contracts with Callaway and Under Armour , backed the mini-golf themed TV show “ Holey Moley ,” and is in talks to establish a PGA Tour event in San Francisco .
For a basketball star , that ’ s a lot of golf , which is what brought a Howard
student named Otis Ferguson into Curry ’ s orbit in January of ‘ 19 . Ferguson ran Howard ’ s club golf team . But his best efforts couldn ’ t convince the school , among the most distinguished of the nation ’ s 107 historically black colleges and universities ( HBCUs ), to revive a varsity program dormant since the ‘ 70s . When Curry chatted up audience members after the movie screening , Ferguson caught Curry ’ s ear : “ Hey Steph , let ’ s play golf .”
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