Not a great start for ex-baseball blayer turned professional golfer, John Smoltz - Golf
The professional baseball player turned golfer, John Smoltz, made his debut at the South Georgia Classic of the Nationwide tour yesterday. Smoltz discovered yesterday that there’s a big difference between practice rounds and an actuall tournament. The player
made an 84 in the opening round and hence was disappointed with his performance.
Formerly having played as a major league baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz is now turning to his second sporting passion. Smoltz, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, started on the back nine and pared his first two holes. Things looked good as
the player made a birdie on the twelfth hole. Following that, the golfer really got under pressure or lost concentration as he didn’t make another birdie throughout his round.
In the delayed South Georgia Classic, Smoltz made nine bogeys and two double bogeys in his remaining holes. Currently at 154th place in the leader board, Smoltz is yet to tee off in the second round of the tournament. Seeing how his first round
went, the player will really need to step up his game in order to make the cut.
Of course the player will receive a lot of criticism from his failed transition from baseball to golf. However, for an amazing pitcher like Smoltz, this is all part of a learning experience. When playing practice rounds with great players such as Tiger Woods,
Smoltz managed rounds in the 60s.
“When you’re out there in a tournament, you have to be able to trust something. And there are times out there where I don’t know what to trust. But that will come with time.I love learning — even if it’s through some double bogeys and tough lessons. I love
learning and this is a great opportunity to learn,” said Smoltz.
With some players still waiting to complete their first rounds, and some already started with the second, the leader board is surely getting interesting. Before the player ended yesterday, Nicholas Thompson was leading with a five under par score after eleven
holes. As of right now, Australian Matthew Goggin is leading with a six under par 66 in his first round.
Tags: