When former big league pitcher John Smoltz plays in a Nationwide Tour event next month, one player won’t be surprised if he does well: his occasional golfing buddy, a guy who knows a little about good players.
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“I had not played with an amateur that had ever shot the scores he shot,” Tiger Woods said recently. “He’s a hell of an athlete. The way he’s able to take that same tenacity into golf is pretty amazing. I’ve played with him when he shot 69-67 in the same day. Not many amateurs can do that, especially when they’re still playing a professional sport at the time. It’s pretty phenomenal.”
Smoltz, now a baseball broadcaster for TBS, was invited to play in the South Georgia Classic from April 28-May 1. Yes, it helps that he was a popular Atlanta Braves pitcher back in the day. Smoltz is not trying to parlay this into a future gig on the Champions Tour. However, he does love the sport enough that he has two greens and nine tees in his backyard.
Give him credit for this: he’s taken advantage of his golfing excellence and his fame, turning that into rounds with both Woods and former women’s great Annika Sorenstam.
“Playing with Tiger is unreal to watch up close. TV does it no justice,” Smoltz said on Sirius/XM radio’s PGA Tour Network. “It’s awesome to watch. As much as I always wanted to hang in there and beat him it was always like the last hole or two he’d say ‘OK, that’s enough’ and beat me. It’s the time of my life.'”
