Ex-NBA guard J.R. Smith set to play first golf tourney as member of N.C. A&T team

Published 12:00 am Saturday, October 9, 2021

Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in an NBA Finals game in 2018. (AP File Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

GREENSBORO (AP) — Former NBA guard J.R. Smith is set to make his debut next week as a golfer for North Carolina A&T.

The school announced Smith will play his first collegiate tournament Monday and Tuesday at the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon.

The tournament will take place at the par-71, 6,867-yard Alamance Country Club golf course.

Smith enrolled at N.C. A&T over the summer after 16 seasons in the NBA and joined the golf team as a freshman walk-on. All team golfers must qualify for each tournament in practice unless he has finished first or second in the previous tournament. Smith qualified for next week’s tournament by one stroke.