Here’s how J.R. Smith’s first college golf tournament played out

The most famous college golfer is not one of the best amateurs in the world. It’s not Rose Zhang at Stanford or Pierceson Coody at Texas, two of the best college players on the planet.

The most famous collegiate golfer plays at North Carolina A&T: J.R. Smith. 

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 been tweeting all kinds of revelations since his first week on campus. Today he competed in his first tournament as an Aggie, and recently explained his goals and purpose to Claude Harmon on Harmon’s podcast Off Course:

Will we get revelations from his golf experience? Undoubtedly. 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. 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. 

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. 

Whatever you do, don’t go rushing to conclusions about Smith’s game. We wouldn’t pick apart your abilities based off one single round, so don’t do that to him. Smith actually beat a handful of competitors in the first round and headed right back out there for a second 18-hole round at the 36-hole event. Four holes into the second round, he had made three pars and a birdie. 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. If you haven’t been there, you’re not a golfer. 

#perspective…

+1 thru his first 10, including a couple of bounce-back birdies

Pars at 13 & 14 are strong from the tips, but bogey on the next 3 easier holes start to get in your head before difficult tasks on 18 & 1

Need to see good things at 2, 4, & 6

Going 36 today! pic.twitter.com/MOPVusR4zE

— Al Lunsford (@al_lunsford) October 11, 2021

Looked to be a confident swing here, led to a routine par for @TheRealJRSmith. Big tree on the right side of this par-5 is deceptive – not really in play. Avoided the bunkers on the left that were moved back to challenge players’ landing area as part of recent renovation at ACC. https://t.co/YCTKmbS7vN

— Al Lunsford (@al_lunsford) October 11, 2021

We will continue to update this post as Smith’s second round finishes out.

Sean Zak

Golf.com Editor

A senior editor for GOLF.com, Zak joined the GOLF staff three weeks after college graduation. He is the utility infielder of the brand, spanning digital, print and video. His main duty is as a host for various GOLF.com video properties and its award-winning podcasts. When the Masters comes around, be sure to tune in to hear him and fellow staffers recount the most memorable tournaments in Augusta National history on A Pod Unlike Any Other.