Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is trying his hand at golf, and not just any golf. We're talking about the PGA.
But Reaves missed the cut while trying to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour, shooting a 76 at Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Monday and missing qualifying for the Knoxville Open. For the record, he fell short by 11 strokes.
"You can't really compare anything to it," Reaves said, according to PGATour.com. "I was nervous, I will say that, but it was a lot of fun. I was on the first tee shaking a little bit, didn't hit a good ball, but other than that, it was a lot of fun to play some competitive golf."
Reaves said he last played competitively in high school but is giving the game another run. Why, we have no idea. He doesn't need the money.
"I was laying on the couch the other day and I was bored, and I called [my friend Trent Swaim] and said 'Find me a Monday qualifier around here,'" Reaves told the Los Angeles Times.
Per ESPN, Reaves also "told the newspaper that his short game, specifically his putting, made the difference in shooting a better score. Reaves said he was coming off his first 67 and had high expectations. He birdied his first hole, but his front nine included three straight bogeys. Overall, he said that it was a great experience but that he'd give himself a B-minus."
On the bright side, things seem to be looking up as far as his NBA career goes. He just completed his third season, all with the Lakers, averaging career highs in points (15.9), rebounds (4.3) and assists (5.5). The Lakers were bounced from the first round of the playoffs by the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
