The hills of the 18th hole at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, N.J., were filled with young golfers clad in blue and gray golf shirts as the final strokes of this latest stop on the Underrated Golf Tour wrapped up Thursday.
Underrated Golf, founded in 2022 by Steph and Ayesha Curry, is an organization focused on lowering the barrier of entry to golf for individuals across all backgrounds by offering more access to competitive opportunities.
With its history as a sport that’s predominantly white, male, and typically played by the wealthy, Underrated’s pillars of equity, access, and opportunity offer experiences for young golfers “regardless of socio-economic status, personal adversity or characteristics protected by law such as ethnic background or gender,” according to its website.
“You can’t be what you don’t see,” said former golfer and broadcaster Will Lowery, who has been involved with the organization since its inception. “So when you have young men and women who come from a different clubhouse, various backgrounds, that kid that is at home, desires to play golf, desires to compete in golf, they can see what’s happening in real time. They can get a sniff of what’s going on either via social media or come out here and be on the property, and that may want to inspire them to come out here and compete.”
The number of golfers since 2022 when Underrated began has increased as the organization gains popularity, said Hampton Clark, Underrated’s athletics operations manager.
Clark said that the Currys’ vision for Underrated and what it can do in the junior golf space “sold itself.” It’s become a tour once searching for golfers a few years ago, that today receives outreach from people who want to get involved.
“It’s kind of been kind of cool to see all the interest from the kids and the families,” Clark said. “So, it’s really great to see we’re getting some great golfers, especially kind of the background that we’re looking for. And it’s been kind of great to see from year one to right now.”
Liam Eyer, from San Jose, Calif., has been part of the Underrated tours for four years. On Thursday, Eyer won his first tournament with the tour, going 6-under-par to secure the boys victory.
Eyer, who struggled Wednesday, received a lesson and a few pointers from Lowry following the round, which helped his performance Thursday with advice that Eyer joked “changed [his] life.”
Myra Tomer, from Newtown, also shot 6-under to secure the win on the girls side, in her first Underrated tournament.
Tomer came in as a local qualifier, making her the second female golfer in Underrated to come in with that distinction and go on to win the tournament. She also qualified to play for the Curry Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York in September, and then the next and final stop of the tour in Los Angeles at Hillcrest Country Club. Tomer also received full status for the tour next year.
“I grew up playing [Seaview’s course], I know it very well, and it was just so special to come and win here,” Tomer said. “It’s somewhere I came as a little kid and I dreamed one day I’m gonna win here.”
As a first-time golfer with Underrated, Tomer said everyone instantly made her feel included in what Tomer said was a “special week.” It also contributed to providing her tournament experience, which is part of Underrated’s mission.
Lowery said that part of Curry’s vision includes helping golfers get 10,000 hours of tournament time so they can grow accustomed to playing competitively. It was a mission Lowery said he saw succeed during the three days Underrated was at Seaview.
“I saw the kids have stick-to-itiveness,” Lowery said. “The course is not easy, the conditions aren’t easy, and these kids all said, ‘I played better today.’ ‘I had a rough first round or a first nine,’ and they came back, and that’s what it’s all about. Something they can leave and learn from something.”
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