Smith earned a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a degree in liberal studies and competing on the golf team. For now, Smith shot 83-78 and beat a pair of La Salle golfers as North Carolina A&T sits in 11th place (of 13 teams) after Day 1 of competition. That included joining LeBron James in winning titles with Cleveland in 2016 and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Florida pandemic bubble in 2020 and celebrating each in memorable shirtless fashion. Smith made six consecutive bogeys, finally breaking that streak with a double bogey on the 3rd hole (his 17th) before finishing off with another bogey to shoot a 10-over 81. 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. The most famous college golfer is not one of the best amateurs in the world. 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. 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. 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 Former NBA star J.R. Smith on how basketball is likegolf?! 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. Obviously different environments from playing in front of 20,000 people to playing in a college golf gallery. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Melo joining LeBron, Lakers on 1-year deal, NBA unveils diamond patch for NBA 75 jerseys, OKC acquires Favors, future first-round pick, Durant expected to make Suns debut tonight, David Benner, Pacers longtime PR director, dies, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays & strategy for March 1, Kia Rookie Ladder: State of chase after All-Star, NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer Wednesday 3/1, How the Spurs celebrated Black Heritage Night. "I dont give a damn whether he wants to stay or go," Smith said. 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. He also hoped to play on the golf team, but approval from the NCAA regarding the 35-year-olds eligibility was the final hurdle he had to navigate. Had a pair of birdies, a great chip and stuck his approach on No. Proud of you Kid!!! One of the coolest non-tour golf stories of the year belongs to J.R. Smith. JR Smith analyzes his yardage book during his first collegiate golf tournament Monday. As for Smiths college golf career, that remains to be seen. To the surprise of absolutely no one, that old Cardale Jones tweet made quite the comeback. 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. The most famous collegiate golfer plays at North Carolina A&T: J.R. Smith. 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. In college golf, teams drop one of five scores, and his was the lowest both times. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: golf | pageType: stories | Recently, now that his NBA days are behind him, Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T to pursue a degree in liberal studies and is hoping to get a spot on the Aggies' golf team. 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. Pulling up to the range at my first college tournament! 9 to within a foot from the pin. Smith is not the only one celebrating his accomplishments, as his former teammate LeBron James has chimed in as well. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. In January, Smith signed with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. Our man started one over through the first nine holes of his round, but then promptly double-bogeyed the par-3 14th (his 10th). Smith, 35, played 16 seasons in the NBA but is hoping to play golf in college. 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. Zak is a writer at GOLF Magazine, currently working on a book about the summer he spent in St. Andrews. Who needs 3s when you can score a 4.0? (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images), https://golfweek.usatoday.com/gallery/nba-jr-smith-college-golf-north-carolina-at/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, PGA Tour approves radical schedule changes, reducing fields in elevated events and ending cuts, Drivers used by PGA Tour pros ranked in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. 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. After Smith was named Academic Athlete of the Year, James tweeted, "YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! 2. The third and final round will get underway at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. October 08, 2021. JR thought he was just short of his 4.0 goal this semester only to be surprised with the good news today @TheRealJRSmith pic.twitter.com/0mLyPSV9R6, In a video posted the same day, Smith was clearly emotional. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! (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. He died aged 67. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images), Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies marks his ball before the, Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies marks his ball before the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). Its not even a week yet but as I get into it I keep getting eager to learn more, and join study groups and try to understand and try to really embrace the lifestyle, he said. Smith had the sixth-best score out of six players on his team. When you're not used to going to school and doing all that s---, ahh man freshman year you don't think you can do it, you always hear about your disabilities.". 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. A lot of hard work went into that s--- you know Monday through Friday eight to eleven, sometimes longer, straight schoolwork. As the Associated press reports, Smith participated in an online press conference Monday, in which he revealed his excitement over his impending college career. About. followed @TheRealJRSmith for the first five holes today in his first tournament as a member of the @NCATAGGIES Golf Team. Ben Jared. Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies tees off to begin his, Former NBA player J.R. Smith of the North Carolina A&T Aggies tees off to begin his first competitive round of collegiate golf at the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. Now he was diving headfirst into the world of higher education at the age of 36 with the stated mission of playing college golf. North Carolina A&Ts first tournament of the fall season is the Black College Golf Association Invitational on Sept. 24-25 at in Newman, Ga. Well have to wait and see whether or not Smith makes his college golf debut then. 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. JR Smith will get a chance to shoot his shot. BURLINGTON, N.C. (AP) J.R. Smith stepped into a hornets nest in his first college golf tournament and it had nothing to do with his high score. The 36-year-old two-time NBA champion was literally stung by hornets while completing his round Tuesday for North Carolina A&T on the second day of Elons Phoenix Invitational. In January, Smith signed with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. Ex-NBAer turned college golfer JR Smith named North Carolina A&T's Academic 5 spot on North Carolina A&T's team, made two birdies and two doubles in his first five holes of play on Monday. 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. 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. If you havent been there, youre not a golfer. 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 | If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. He remained in the middle of the leaderboard through the front nine at one over par. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images), Former NBA player J.R. Smith gets a word of encouragement from head coach Richard Watkins of, Former NBA player J.R. Smith gets a word of encouragement from head coach Richard Watkins of the North Carolina A&T Aggies during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club on October 11, 2021 in Burlington, North Carolina. J.R. Smith to make college golf debut. As for his golf game, Smith said hes been playing for about 12 years. Its not golf 24/7 even though he enrolled in part to play on the universitys golf team. This was a guy most famous (or rather infamous) for never wearing a shirt and miscounting the score in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Straight school work when youre not used to going to school and doing all that sh*t oh man.. ", YESSIR @TheRealJRSmith!! The Spurs are showcasing the importance of Black culture in their community for the month of February. On Monday, the 36-year-old -- who was originally slated to play basketball at North Carolina before jumping from St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey, to the NBA draft in 2004 -- was named the Aggies' Academic Athlete of the Year. Smith blames all parties involved, from Rodgers to Gutekunst to coach Matt LaFleur. Can you imagine being the fifth guy for George Mason or Radford and rolling up to somebody who was flying private with LeBron James 12 months ago and made $88.3 million over the course of his career? Now he is back in the classroom on his way to earning a degree. Its not even a week yet but as I get into it, I keep getting eager to learn more, and join study groups and try to understand and try to really embrace the lifestyle, Smith said. Because if Im going to give it a shot, thats the only way its going to work.. When J.R. Smith announced his plans to enroll at North Carolina A&T State University in order to play college golf late last summer, the jokes came rolling in. J.R. Smith (right), a 16-year NBA veteran, is a freshman walk-on for North Carolina A&T's golf team. 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. If you want to find out how good a golfer really is, put the word tournament or money in front of the round. J.R. Smith's college golf debut featured a bizarre turn of events. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Wednesday night's slate. if his first semester report card is any indication, he meant it. Hes already started classes, relating his experiences via his Twitter feed. Smith -- who won titles with LeBron James in 2016 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers -- credited a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen as the catalyst for his decision to petition the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith received many congratulations when the news broke on Monday, perhaps none bigger than the one he received from his former teammate and NBA great James. 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 FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. "I can't even describe the feeling," he said. Smith hits his tee shot on the 9th hole during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Country Club. 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. 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. So it all correlates the same for me.. Pulling up to the range at my first college tournament! That, in and of itself, is success. In January, Smith signed an NIL deal with Excel Sports Management. Alamance Country Club is the venue for the week, a par 71 layout measuring 6,867 yards. @WFMY @ncatsuaggies pic.twitter.com/s7q6rpk1pa. In the second round, we saw much of the same from the first round: a solid start followed by a leaky finish. Best irons for 2023 for every handicap and playing style, Three sleeper picks to win the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational, including Tommy Fleetwood at 80/1, Best golf drivers for 2023 for every handicap and playing style, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. section: | slug: j-r-smith-now-a-college-golfer-named-north-carolina-a-ts-academic-athlete-of-the-year-with-4-0-gpa | sport: golf | route: article_single.us | JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) August 22, 2021, My first deadline is at midnight pic.twitter.com/Za7n4XDQ1j, JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) August 23, 2021, For me, because I have a wild imagination, its going to be very interesting, Smith said. Even though he enrolled in part to play on the 9th hole during the Phoenix Invitational at Alamance Club... Been playing for about 12 years 8 a.m. on Tuesday 100 value - just $ 20 ) his... One celebrating his accomplishments, as his former teammate LeBron James has chimed as. 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