4: 54 PM ET
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Linked Press
BURLINGTON, N.C. — JR Smith stepped into a hornets nest in his first college golf match, and it had nothing to achieve alongside side his high procure.
The 36-365 days-extinct two-time NBA champion became actually stung by hornets whereas finishing his spherical Tuesday for North Carolina A&T on the second day of Elon’s Phoenix Invitational.
“To procure stung on the basketball court or in an enviornment, on no memoir happens,” acknowledged Smith, now a freshman stroll-on. “That is even handed one of many very few issues you do now not must effort about [in basketball] — totally different animals. After I got stung, I became delight in ‘No attain.'”
The hornets trusty added to the sting of Smith’s birdie-much less spherical of 8-over-par 79 on the Donald Ross-designed structure. Blended alongside side his two rounds Monday, he done at 29 over 240 — in 81st region out 84 entries.
Smith acknowledged he’s determined to toughen on memoir of he knows others are paying attention. He communicated with Suns guard Chris Paul after Monday’s two rounds and heard from ex-NBA teammates as section of a team textual convey.
“I got a ramification of enormous feedback,” Smith acknowledged. “Chris Paul became telling me guys were talking about it in the locker room. Guys are truly trying to search out my ratings, so I got to deal with industry so after I glance them it ain’t going to be too mighty backlash.”
Serene, he made an affect at the tournament. Well after the spherical, playing partner Mason Whatley of Presbyterian went to bear a describe with Smith.
“He has made golf cool for oldsters,” Whatley acknowledged.
When the hornets attacked, being an ambassador for the game became now not Smith’s high priority.
It happened on his third gap of the third spherical at Alamance Nation Membership. His tee shot went off the golf green and became embedded in pine straw. He chanced on the ball, nonetheless his pull cart’s wheel rolled over the the nest.
Smith darted far off from that region, waving his hands, earlier than needing treatment. Smith, alongside side playing companions Florian Blatti of George Washington and Whatley, were granted a 15-minute ruin as totally different groups performed thru.
“I attempted to flip it into a particular,” Smith acknowledged, referring to suiting up whereas sick in the NBA. “This would well even be your equivalent of a flu game.”
Smith had the sixth-ideal procure out of six gamers on his team. The Aggies done 11th in the 13-team field, 57 pictures off the tempo region by match champion Elon.
Smith performed 16 years in the NBA, a success championships with Cleveland in 2016 and with the Los Angeles Lakers final 365 days in the Florida pandemic bubble. The Lakers’ title-clinching draw shut came exactly one 365 days earlier than his debut as an Aggies golfer.
Smith acknowledged he has a spherical tentatively region up subsequent week with now not too long previously retired North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams. Smith became at the starting up region to play basketball for Williams’ Tar Heels earlier than going leaping straight to the NBA in 2004.
