Teen golfer selected for NBA star’s tournament

A Madison County teen is making waves in the golf world, traveling across the country and competing against some of the best players in the country this summer.

Kaylee Gatlin, who is only 14 years old, was selected for NBA Superstar Stephen Curry’s “Underrated” Golf Tour and has been playing golf all around the country at some of the nation’s top courses. 

“It has really been awesome going to all these places,” Gatlin said. “We are getting to play some of the courses that we probably would not get to play if we don’t go pro.”

Curry’s Underrated Golf Tour states that its mission is to “increase the participation of competitive golfers from diverse backgrounds and to engage corporate partners for mentoring, networking, and visibility.” The tour has held events in South Carolina and Oregon and will round out the summer at courses such as TPC San Antonio in Texas and The Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey.

“It is creating opportunities for minorities in the game of golf to have access to amazing venues," Gatlin said about the tour. 

Gatlin was one of 96 male and female qualifiers across the nation to be selected for the tour and will look to be one of 12 finalists to qualify for the “Curry Cup,” which is the tour’s championship tournament, making the tour one of the most competitive amateur events in the country.

Gatlin credits her father and grandfather, who has played in the Senior US Open, to developing her love and competitiveness for golf from a young age. 

“My dad and my grandfather both have played golf a lot,” Gatlin said. “Golf is just a challenge, everyday isn’t the same so you have to roll with the punches and take what you can get out there.”

Gatlin is an incoming freshman at Germantown High School, but has already proven herself at the high school level, as she finished in 12th in the 2022 MHSAA 6A state championships as a seventh grader and followed that up with a sixth place finish in last year’s state tournament.

She is also currently ranked as the ninth overall golfer in the state regardless of class and also recently won the Randy Watkins Juniors MJGA tournament, which hosts some of the best competition from across the southeast.