Jayson Tatum is golfing at the FedEx St. Jude Championship Pro Am in Memphis
Tatum reportedly picked up golf as a hobby after the NBA shut down in 2020.
A familiar face is at the FedEx St. Jude Championship Pro-Am golf tournament in Memphis on Wednesday.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum is playing in the event, according to Mark Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal. Tatum’s group includes PGA golfer John Rahm.
According to The Athletic, Tatum picked up golfing as a hobby when the NBA shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020.
Tatum’s stepfather, Jake Barnes, convinced the All-Star forward to take some swings during a trip with a golf instructor on a trip to Florida. The experience hooked Tatum on the sport, The Athletic reports.
Tatum’s golf game appears to have come a long way since a video of him whiffing on a swing at TopGolf surfaced during his rookie season.
“When he first started, there was a lot of inconsistency,” Tatum’s golf instructor Daniel Boisvert told The Athletic. “Every once in a while he would square one up and he’d hit the crap out of it because he’s got a 7-foot wingspan so he creates a tremendous amount of speed.
“So when we started, we worked on a lot of the basics: setup, posture, grip, all those things which make everything else a little easier,” Boisvert continued. “And for him the biggest thing I’d say is repetition. There’s nothing super fancy I’m doing with him. I’m just trying to push him in the right direction. If he hits and practices, he’ll get better.”
Tatum’s swing speed is above the PGA average, Boisvert added. He said that Tatum’s “world class” practice discipline helps him to learn at a high rate.
The FedEx St. Jude Championship Pro Am is a part of a series of events surrounding this weekend’s FedEx Cup Playoff opener at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
The tournament has raised more than $60 million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since its inception in 1970, according to the hospital’s website.
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