SAN FRANCISCO: Stephen Curry, three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, has announced the expansion of his Underrated brand to include the sport of golf.
The basketball superstar’s lifestyle brand, which has the stated mission to empower underrated and underrepresented individuals all over the world, is launching his own golf tour, aimed at providing access and opportunity to underrepresented student athletes.
The Underrated Golf Tour, an AJGA-accredited junior tour, will hold five events this summer at highly acclaimed courses across the United States. It is scheduled to kick off in June in Chicago and finish in late August in San Francisco
The Tour will be free of charge for players, including travel, lodging and meals. Players will compete for a season-long “Curry Cup”.
Similar to the Underrated Basketball Tour and Championships, Underrated Golf will also identify and recognize the best players at each of the regional events.
In its first year, the Underrated Golf Tour will select each of the 24 best boys and girls who will compete for the Curry Cup at the season ending Underrated Tour Championship.
In the coming years, Underrated Golf will continue to grow the participant pool, ultimately having a global footprint with the world’s best prospects.
On the vision driving the endeavour, an official release points to golf being one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe, “which is why Stephen and his team are expanding the brand beyond basketball”.
“Underrated Golf is a purpose-driven business endeavor with the overarching commitment to provide equity, access and opportunity to student-athletes from every community by balancing participation in the sport to truly reflect our society,” the release further states.
With a stated mission to increase the participation numbers amongst competitive golfers from diverse communities, Underrated Golf will have players compete hand-in-hand with their peers who currently represent the vast majority of today’s golfers.
“I created Underrated back in 2019 with the goal of celebrating the underdog,” said Stephen Curry. “Underrated is a mindset, a motivation, a calling, a compliment. With this inspiration, I am excited to expand the brand into Underrated Golf, which happens to be one of the most inaccessible sports for underrepresented individuals across the globe. Underrated Golf will provide equity, access and opportunity, recognizing the instrumental role the sport plays as one of the greatest vehicles and connectors for life successes.”
Underrated Golf’s vision of the sport better reflects and balances the diversity of our society and most of all provides access to the countless opportunities that the game brings both on and off the course. This new venture will also allow young golfers to play on courses that they would never have access to, all the while addressing the gender inequity within the sport of golf and beyond, ensuring young female players are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Furthermore, Underrated Golf will prioritize workforce development, bringing greater awareness, training opportunities and programming to individuals, while fostering an understanding of the many career paths made possible by way of the sport.
Through an ongoing series of special speakers, networking events and learning tools with brands and corporations, players will understand what it means to build a successful career. Underrated Golf will also be used as a recruitment tool for their brands and corporations to hire the future leaders who will help enact change locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
“We are dedicated to enacting real change by creating lanes for boys and girls from underserved communities to gain access to the sport,” said Will Lowery, Underrated Golf Professional and Tour Ambassador. “Underrated Golf provides equity, access and opportunity, recognizing the instrumental role the sport plays as one of the greatest vehicles and connectors for life success—from relationship building to career endeavors. We are focused on equal representation of all genders, while being a force multiplier for them to realize their potential and positively impact the sport—from skill on the course to competing in major tournaments and pursuing leadership roles across industries.”
Student athletes who are selected to participate in Underrated Golf will be able to grow through the game in order to have a sustainable future outside of the sport.
Underrated is a culmination of Curry’s inspiring journey to the top as he defied the odds, breaking basketball stereotypes and reminding people that being the best is not about being the strongest, fastest and tallest, but about being grounded in your potential, committed to your craft and, ultimately, undeterred.
