J.R. Smith played in the NBA for 16 seasons before hanging ’em up. Over the Summer, Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T to not only further his education, but to get his competitive juices flowing once again and play for the men’s golf team.
Monday, October 11, is the opening day of the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon. There are two ways to qualify for a tournament; qualifying in practice, and finishing first or second in the previous event. Smith was awarded a tee time after qualifying in practice by one stroke.
Alamance Country Club is the venue for the week, a par 71 layout measuring 6,867 yards.
Back in August, Smith shared some thoughts about balancing school, life, and golf.
“Being able to compete and challenge myself academically is where my heart is right now,” Smith said. “Being able to play golf at the same time is even better. It gives me incentive to keep my grades up.”
I hated school growing up and I knew this would be a challenge, but that's not going to discourage me one second. You have to be able to buckle down and lock into new journys and challenges coming in your life. Observe, learn and adapt.
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) August 27, 2021
