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Bucks’ Pat Connaughton promotes multi-sport path at AmFam Championship

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MADISON – Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton joked that the galleries at the American Family Insurance Championship might need to stay away from his tee shots as he readied to participate in Andy North’s annual four-person scramble – but it was North who quietly applauded Connaughton’s stance that young athletes should not limit themselves to one sport.

Olympian Michael Phelps and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan nodded along as Connaughton spoke on the virtues of playing multiple sports – which had in part gotten him to the tee box alongside a two-time U.S. Open champion in North.

“The ability to play multiple sports is something I’ve always been passionate about,” Connaughton said Saturday afternoon. “I’ve always tried to push the next generation to continue to try to excel in multiple sports.

“To be a part of an event that is different than what people know me playing, basketball and baseball, I think is pretty cool because it just shows if you’re into sports, if you love athletics, don’t let a youth coach tell you you’ve got to specialize at a young age. Get your body exposure to different sports, it’s healthier in the long run. Get your mind exposed to different levels of competition, get your social skills exposed to different people and different ways you’ve got to work as a team.

“That’s what I’m kind of hoping to do today is learn something from the three guys next to me in golf to try to get myself better and also show you can excel in multiple different sports.”

North then quickly added, “Could we write that answer in capital letters for all parents out there? There’s nothing more sickening than an 8‑year‑old specializing in soccer. They don’t have any idea what they’re doing or what they’re going to be good at. Please, capital letters.”

Connaughton was a late addition to the celebrity foursome, being announced on Tuesday. That allowed the 31-year-old to work on his game a bit as a day after the Bucks season ended abruptly after the first round of the playoffs against Indiana on May 2, Connaughton and his fiancé, pro soccer player Ryan Gareis, welcomed son Crew on May 3.

Connaughton is an avid golfer who said he started playing recreationally with his father, Leonard, as a youth in Massachusetts. He was a three-sport athlete at Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and went on to play baseball and basketball at the University of Notre Dame.

More: Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is building careers on and off the court in Milwaukee

His professional career actually began in baseball as a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, and he pitched six games (four starts) of low-A ball that season and registered a 2.45 earned run average over 14 2/3 innings.

He was then drafted by the Brooklyn Nets in the second round of the 2016 NBA draft and was immediately traded to Portland.

Connaughton still plays golf recreationally but is a low single-digit handicap. And while that is an accomplishment in and of itself, he’s not typically playing his third sport in front of a walking gallery and finish into an 18th green surrounded by stadium seating.

“Hopefully they stay away from me on the tee, I don’t want to hit anybody, I don’t want to lose any fans today,” Connaughton quipped. “No, the fan base here in Wisconsin’s awesome. Andy and I have a friendly little Wisconsin versus Notre Dame rivalry at the collegiate level, but at the pro level we’re all aligned with obviously the Bucks and Packers and Brewers.

“The fan base I think’s one of the most underrated fan bases in the country. To be out here now in a different setting playing a different sport, we’ll see how much they cheer me on pending my performance.”

Connaughton was first-time participant in North’s annual four-person scramble, along with former NFL quarterback-turned- CBS Sports analyst Matt Ryan. They joined Phelps, who was back for his second straight appearance.

Ryan and Phelps paired off to face North and Connaughton in a scramble format with a prize going to the winning pair’s respective charities. Past participants of the celebrity foursome include Jack Nicklaus, Juli Inkster, Lee Trevino, Zach Johnson, Brett Favre, Derek Jeter and the late musician Toby Keith.

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