If you want to find out how good a golfer really is, put the word tournament or money in front of the round. By Joel Beall. The 35-year-old two-time NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, who has enrolled at North Carolina A&T as a freshman walk-on, shot a 10-over 81 on Monday in the first round of the Elon Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club in Burlington, North Carolina. 6-keys: media/spln/golf/reg/free/stories, at According to the school, All A&T golfers must qualify for each tournament in practice unless the golfer finishes first or second on the team in the previous tournament, and Smith qualified for the Phoenix Invitational by one stroke. The 16-year NBA veteran who skipped college basketball, won two world championships and made millions is now a freshman walk-on for the North Carolina A&T After Smith was named Academic Athlete of the Year, James tweeted, "YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! followed @TheRealJRSmith for the first five holes today in his first tournament as a member of the @NCATAGGIES Golf Team. Smith went straight from St. Benedicts Preparatory School in New Jersey to the NBA, where he was drafted 18th overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2004. "Hopefully they're learning some things and I don't mess them up.". The Aggies finished 11th in the 13-team field, 57 shots off the pace set by tournament champion Elon. But all along, Smith insisted he was there to learn and get the college experience he sacrificed when he opted for the NBA straight out of high school. WebBelow is a comprehensive draft profile for Anderson, including his scouting report, prospect ranking, pro comparison, combine results, college and high school accolades and overall But Smith isnt doing this only to play golf, hes just as interested in focusing on his studies while at NC A&T. The most famous college golfer is not one of the best amateurs in the world. After retiring from basketball the35-year-old decided to enroll at North Carolina A&T and walk on as a freshman. While his score was dropped from the Aggies team total for the first round (the format is play five players, count your best four scores), Smith did beat one of his teammates in the first 18. However, on the home stretch, things took a turn for the worse as he made six consecutive bogeys and then a double bogey on his 17th hole before finishing with another bogey to shoot a 10-over 81. Hes already started classes, relating his experiences via his Twitter feed. That, in and of itself, is success. Today he competed in his first tournament as an Aggie, and recently explained his goals and purpose to Claude Harmon on Harmons podcast Off Course: Will we get revelations from his golf experience? Pulling up to the range at my first college tournament! Best of luck you student/athlete GO AGGIES TEAM https://t.co/3OJr6nnzGo. Ben Jared. The former sixth man of the year was named North Carolina A&T;s Academic Athlete of the Year with a 4.0 GPA on Monday. The two-time @NBA champ is enrolling @NCATAggies with his sights set on the golf team. Proud of you Kid!!! section: | slug: j-r-smith-shoots-83-78-in-college-debut-for-north-carolina-a-t-at-elon-phoenix-invitational | sport: golf | route: article_single.us | Perhaps it brought some pressure on the other two guys, but clearly not enough as Rabadan shot 65-66 to lead the event by four. The 6-foot-6 guard was set to join tradition-rich North Carolina under Roy Williams in 2004, but instead jumped straight to the NBA and was a first-round draft pick. @WFMY @ncatsuaggies pic.twitter.com/s7q6rpk1pa. But its still as nerve-racking as shooting a free throw in front of 5,000 instead of making a 5-foot putt in front of three. At the time, Smiths agent, Lance Young, told ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski that there was high interest from golf apparel and equipment manufacturers in sponsoring the enormously popular (6.2 million followers on Instagram alone) college athlete. Smith-Njigba is coming off a season in which a nagging hamstring injury limited him to five catches total, but he led Ohio State in catches (95) and yards (1,606) in 2021. He finished with a 7-over 78 to move up a few spots in the leaderboard. Fred Couples' LIV dig, Tom Brady and Tony Finau tee it up at Seminole | Rogers Report, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational tee times: Round 1 groupings for Thursday. As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brands e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. October 08, 2021. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). Smith hung in there strong for 10 holes, and was in the middle of the pack on the leaderboard at just one over before things took a turn for the worse. 18. That is what you would probably expect from a world-class athlete trying to contend on a fairly high level in a sport he has not played competitively for extended periods of time. In the fall of 2021, 16-year NBA veteran JR Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University and joined the golf team as a walk-on. On Aug. 24, just a day after starting classes, he was cleared to play golf for the Aggies.Source: Casey Musarra @ New York Post, Front Office Sports: North Carolina A&T;s Academic Athlete of the Year, with a 4.0 GPA: JR Smith, Mens Golf (: @Turkin35) -via Twitter / April 26, 2022, The news comes a week after apparel brand Lululemon signed Smith to be its golf ambassador through a name, image and likeness deal. pic.twitter.com/RDNJGhiRaw. YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! Did you encounter any technical issues? As for Smiths college golf career, that remains to be seen. But this is what I tell people. J.R. Smith to make college golf debut. The former sixth man of the year was named North Carolina A&T;s Academic Athlete of the Year with a 4.0 GPA on Monday. Because if Im going to give it a shot, thats the only way its going to work.. So I dont know how Im going to do.. After a standout high school basketball career, Smith initially planned to play college ball at the University of North Carolina. "It's so fun," Simpson said of coaching. Smith looked the part, although the photos themselves are surreal. Interestingly, Smith was paired with Pedro Rabadan of Elon, who leads the event after Day 1. J.R. Smith's hard work this year has paid off. The former NBA player turned college student athlete was named North Carolina A&T's Academic Athlete of the Year. Smith earned a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a degree in liberal studies and competing on the golf team. The 36-year-old former NBA star responded to the news with a smile emoji. Note: This profile will be updated as more information becomes available. Make fun of his liberal studies major all you want, but how many 4.0 semesters did you pull down? As for Smiths college golf career, that remains to be seen. Smith blames all parties involved, from Rodgers to Gutekunst to coach Matt LaFleur. Plus, from the looks of the video below and a handful of tweets from those on-site, Smith really had it going to start the day before things got away from him. As for his golf game, Smith said hes been playing for about 12 years. Smith hits his tee shot on the 9th hole during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club. Unfortunately for the former sharpshooting guard his scorecard was just as colorful in his college golf debut. Former NBA guardJ.R. Smith made his college golf debut for North Carolina A&T on Monday at the Elon Phoenix Invitational, and that sentence alone might be worth its own book some day. Former NBA guard J.R. Smith made his college golf debut for North Carolina A&T on Monday at the Elon Phoenix Invitational, and that sentence alone might The news comes a week after apparel brand Lululemon signed Smith to be its golf ambassador through a name, image and likeness deal. As far as score goes, Smith got off to a pretty solid start, making two birdies in his first five holes at the Elon Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club. What do we make of the PGA Tours new Designated Events Model? The athlete known to hoops fans as "JR Swish" is the first male golfer to sign a brand ambassador deal with Lululemon. In January, Smith signed with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. Believe it or not, the following sentence is not a joke either: J.R. Smith is about to start his competitive collegiate golf career. Perhaps best of all, however, is how much it clearly means to Smith. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, Two-time NBA champ J.R. Smith is officially taking his talents to college golf. The NCAA bars athletes from competing in college sports if theyve played in the pro ranks, but the rules only apply to the sport the player made money in professionally. Speaking afterward with local media, Smith mentioned that he felt nervous playing in his first collegiate competition, but that there was plenty to take away from it. Its going to be fun, Smith said Monday in an online news conference. The most famous collegiate golfer plays at North Carolina A&T: J.R. Smith. And while it perhaps did not lead to the scorecard Smith wanted on Monday, it's fantastic that somebody so accomplished on one discipline is entering the arena in another one. Instead the buzz centered around the Elon Phoenix Invitational, an innocuous college golf tournament turned viral epicenter thanks to the NCAA golf debut of two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith. Alamance Country Club is the venue for the week, a par 71 layout measuring 6,867 yards. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images), Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies warms up with his fellow, Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies warms up with his fellow competitors before the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. 9 to within a foot from the pin. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775722383 ORIG FILE ID: 1346025445, Fans and media follow J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies as he walks to, Fans and media follow J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies as he walks to the 13th hole during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. Instead, he chose to enter the 2004 NBA draft and was picked by the then-New Orleans Hornets at No. North Carolina A&T's Academic Athlete of the Year, with a 4.0 GPA:JR Smith, Men's Golf (: @Turkin35) pic.twitter.com/wPyIb9zNkm. I just know how to compete with myself, Smith said. The two-time NBA champion is in the middle of his first semester at NC A&T, where he is playing on the golf team, a move that has been widely covered and that he has explained in depth. Smith said he was drawn to the Greensboro, North Carolina, school because of his interest in attending a Historically Black College or University, which follows a push by the NBA and its players to support HBCU traditions and culturein this years All-Star Gamein Atlanta. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images), Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies hits a tee shot on, Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies hits a tee shot on the 6th hole during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. Its not Rose Zhang at Stanford or Pierceson Coody at Texas, two of the best college players on the planet. At the time, Smith's agent, Lance Young, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that there was high interest from golf apparel and equipment manufacturers in sponsoring the enormously popular (6.2 million followers on Instagram alone) college athlete. Still, it was a pretty decent start for somebody who, on this day a year ago, was busy winning Game 6 of the NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers -- his second of two titles in his nearly two decades in the NBA. The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. Fred Couples LIV dig, Tom Brady and Tony Finau tee it up at Seminole | Rogers Report, PGA Tour makes big changes to 2024 designated events, including smaller fields and no cuts, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, Rory McIlroy reveals how Tiger Woods influenced recent driver switch, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. 10:25 am ET, Smith has documented his time in college and has been open about studying, getting his schoolwork done, When Smith first earned his 4.0, he celebrated on Twitter, saying, 2023 Arnold Palmer fantasy golf rankings, picks, lineup, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational picks, field, odds, How to watch 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational expert picks, odds, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational PGA DFS picks, lineups, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational props, expert picks, J.R. Smith named Academic Athlete of the Year, Arnold Palmer Invitational expert picks, preview, Report: PGA Tour to reduce fields of designated events, Kirk breaks 8-year drought with emotional Honda win, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour partner for mixed-team event, Dustin Johnson, Adidas part ways after 15 years, R&A removes exemptions for Open Championship. Who leads the event after Day 1 of 5,000 instead of making a 5-foot in... Front of three from basketball the35-year-old decided to enroll at North Carolina a & T and walk on as freshman... Best college players on the golf team only way its going to work and on! Former sharpshooting guard his scorecard was just as colorful in his college golf career, that remains be. Was paired with Pedro Rabadan of Elon, who leads the event after Day.... 7-Over 78 to move up a few spots in the world the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Club... 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