WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. –Like NBA superstar Stephen Curry, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin is a single-digit handicapper on the golf course. In other words, he’s quite good.
And though Hamlin is preoccupied with “baby watch” this week, with long-time girlfriend Jordan Fish expecting the couple’s second child – and with Regan Smith standing by as a relief driver in case the new baby arrives before the due date on Thursday – Hamlin nevertheless had time to take note of Curry’s surprising performance in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic.
Curry, who was playing in the tournament proper on a sponsor exemption, shot 74-74 at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California, and though he missed the 36-hole cut by 11 shots, he made a strong impression across the spectrum of professional sports.
“What he did was, I think, amazing,” Hamlin told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Even scratch golfers at their home course struggle to shoot 74, and then in a competition like he was in, on a real course, real competition, that was pretty impressive. He didn’t finish last. I mean, I feel bad for those guys that he beat, because they do it every single week.
“But, it’s just fun to see guys that can cross over sports and be competitive. He still would have a ways to be truly competitive, but still he didn’t stink up the show, and I think that it was a good thing for the Web.com Tour, because normally they have nobody watching their event either in person or on TV, and I’m sure the ratings and attendance were probably through the roof.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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