‘Great experience’
- Updated: August 10, 2025
Alexandria’s Stokes tests dream golf courses while playing on NBA legend Curry’s ‘Underrated Golf Tour’
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
Jamarcus Stokes started his sophomore year at Alexandria this past week, after flying home Thursday night. What a how-I-spent-my-summer story he has to tell.
Stokes, one of the rising stars on the Calhoun County high school golf scene, played four renown courses after he applied for and earned selection to play on NBA legend Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour.
Stokes played on the Eisenhower Golf Course in Colorado Springs. He played on the Pete Dye Course in French Lick, Ind., PGA West Jack Nicklaus Course in Palm Springs, Calif., and the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Stokes didn’t make the 12-player cut to advance past the four qualifying tournaments, but he had a golfer’s dream summer.
“Playing all of those unique golf courses, tough golf courses, famous golf courses, it was a great experience,” said Stokes, the Alabama Junior Golf Organization’s 14-15 player of the year for 2024. “I never thought I would play them at this early of an age, which is a great opportunity for me,
“I’m really blessed to have that.”
Curry’s Underrated Tour, named for his Underrated brand, launched in 2022, touting “equity, access, and opportunities for student-athletes from underrepresented communities, such as black and latinx individuals.”
It aims to increase the percentage of black and latinx golfers from under 2 percent to 26 percent to “better reflect society.”
Participants receive special programming, including speaker series and networking events.
The Tour partners with the American Junior Golf Association to create pathways to the game for underrepresented student-athletes.Curry’s brand covers tour expenses, including travel, lodging, and entrance fees.
Curry received the Charlie Sifford Award for his work in advancing diversity in golf in 2023. Sifford was the first black player to become a PGA Tour member in 1961. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
Stokes applied and was accepted for the Underrated Tour based on his GPA and golf handicap. He has the option to return in future years.
He played two rounds on each of the four courses, shooting 76-80 on the Eisenhower Course, 85-85 on the Dye Course, 76-80 at PGA West and 77-84 at TPC Sawgrass.
“French Lick is one of the hardest courses in the world right now,” Stokes said, noting it was “also a tough course to walk.”
“Knowing that I can play really tough golf courses at a high level, it kind of gives me confidence that I can go out and play any golf course and shoot as well as I can. Even though I didn’t play as well, I know I can still handle those golf courses with just great play.”
Stokes met golf personality and broadcaster Will Lowery and played with former Major League Baseball player Bobby Bonilla’s son, Roman Solomon.
“I met a lot of just amazing people, just hanging out, having fun,playing golf at great historical courses was just a blessing,” he said.
More photos from Stokes’ stay on the Underrated Golf Tour
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