Austin Reaves Fails to Qualify for Korn Ferry Event

Reaves shot a 76, missing qualification by 11 strokes.

Apr 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) chases at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Reaves's golf game is not quite there yet.

This week, Reaves attempted to qualify for an event on the Korn Ferry Tour and came up short by 11 strokes. On Monday, Los Angeles Lakers guard shot a 76 at Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. He finished +6 and came up short on qualifying for the Visit Knoxville Open, as he needed a 65 to make it into the tournament.

Reaves gave himself a "B-" for his work in the qualifier, though it must be said, a 76 in his first attempt to qualify for a professional event is pretty impressive.

Reaves just finished his third season with the Lakers and posted solid numbers. The 25-year-old averaged career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds (4.3), assists (5.5) and minutes (32.1) per game. He shot 48.6% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range.

An undrafted free agent in 2021, Reaves is a great story. Through hard work and development, he cracked the Lakers' starting lineup as a rookie and was a key part of their run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023. He signed a four-year, $53.8 million deal last offseason and has become an integral piece of the Lakers' future.

His attempt at a golf career was a fun story and there's absolutely nothing wrong with NBA players enjoying a hobby on their time off from basketball. That said, Reaves should probably focus on jump shots, not tee shots for the time being.