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Austin Reaves is just a month removed from the NBA season after his Los Angeles Lakers squad fell in a first round series to Denver. Apparently, boredom has already begun to seep in.
The guard kicked off his offseason in unexpected fashion, entering a Korn Ferry Tour qualifier in hopes of making the Visit Knoxville Open. And he wasn’t half-bad!
Reaves has evolved into a dangerous weapon on the floor for the Lakers, averaging just under 16 points a game in his most recent campaign. But basketball isn’t his only skill, it seems.
The hooper is also a force on the links, where he’s reported to be a +2.2 handicap.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves (+2.2 H.I.) is playing the Monday qualifier for this week’s KFT event 👀
(via @KornFerryTour) pic.twitter.com/WAefd2aNIg
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) May 20, 2024
Reaves teed off on Monday at Willow Creek, providing followers with a few impressive shots along the way. When all was said and done, he wrapped up his round with a 76.
While that would only be good enough for 73rd in the 79-man field, it’s not too shabby for a man fresh off the NBA bench.
After the fact, he spoke on his performance, which he rated as a B(-).
“I was nervous, I will say that,” he quipped after the round. “I was on the first tee shaking a little bit… But it was a lot of fun to just play some competitive golf…
“Coming into it, I would give myself probably a B(-). I had high expectations… but couldn’t make any putts. It’s how it goes.”
Austin Reaves joined the field out of boredom!
He asked a buddy to find him an event to play in, just because.
“I was actually bored, and I looked at my best friend and said, ‘Find me an event to go play in.’ This one popped up, and we just jumped in the truck and headed down here.”
Austin Reaves gives himself a B- for his debut round of 76 in the @visitknoxopen qualifier. ⬇️@Lakers pic.twitter.com/3olHd3oWzI
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 21, 2024
Incredible.
He admitted that he didn’t have much time to practice and prepare for the event, though winning didn’t seem to be the number one goal. He just needed to find something to take up his free time!
While Reaves won’t be playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this summer, the performance speaks volumes to his athletic abilities outside of basketball. We’ll see if he graces us with any other hidden expertise as the offseason continues.