SouthernWorldwide.com – Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, renowned for his pitching career, has also developed a significant passion and skill for golf.
At 59 years old, Smoltz has achieved a notable level in golf, even qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open in 2018 and aiming to do so again. He attributes his current strong performance to improved health, including two new hips and recent medical procedures.
“The game is at a point now at 59 where I trust some of the things that I can do because I’m physically more able with two new hips and some procedures done. I’m at a point where I know that if I can continue to get a little bit better around the green, I’m going to play the kind of golf I want to play.”
Smoltz is set to compete in the upcoming American Century Championship, scheduled for July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The former Atlanta Braves star has come close to victory, securing a second-place finish last year behind NHL legend Joe Pavelski, but has yet to claim the championship title.
The American Century Championship employs a Modified Stableford scoring system, differing from traditional stroke play. In this format, players earn points based on their score per hole, rather than the total number of strokes taken.
An albatross is awarded 10 points, a hole-in-one earns eight points, an eagle is worth six points, and a birdie grants three points. A par receives one point, while a bogey scores zero. Any score of two over par or worse results in a deduction of two points.
Smoltz has identified a recurring issue in his tournament performance: slow starts in the opening round, which necessitate playing catch-up in subsequent rounds.
“I get off to a slow start. Every tournament I rally second and third round with too big of a hole. I make a ton of pars. It’s so frustrating to say that I make a ton of pars. That would be normally good, but it’s not in this tournament. I think at one point I made 29 pars in a row in one tournament and it was nauseating. It was like I’d rather bite the head of my putter off because you only get one point for a par,” Smoltz explained.
He attributes these sluggish beginnings to a conservative approach and emphasizes the critical importance of making birdie putts.
“You get three times the value for a birdie. So, like last year, I think I made seven or eight birdies the last round to finish second. Couldn’t chase down Pavelski, but I’m like, where has that been? Where’s those birdies in the first round?” Smoltz stated.
“So, I definitely have to get off to a better start. I kind of am too conservative in a first round of a three-round tournament, which always puts me in the mix, but doesn’t give me the best fighting chance to maximize a round when I’m hitting the ball pretty good.”
Smoltz first participated in the American Century Championship in 2000. At that time, recovering from Tommy John surgery and missing the entire season, he received special permission from his esteemed manager, Bobby Cox, to compete.
“I had a sneak preview of it when I was playing. I had Tommy John surgery. I had the greatest manager in the world in Bobby Cox. He let me play because I was out all year and that was when it was stroke play back in the day, when Michael Jordan and all those high-level athletes were playing in stroke play. I did okay. I hung my own,” Smoltz recalled.
The World Series champion regards the event as a highlight of his calendar and a truly exceptional competition.
“American Century is unbelievable. They do a great job putting on the event all these years. It’s a mark on your calendar and nothing-better-get-in-the-way type event. But I think the biggest thing about the golf course and just the whole thing is I get so excited to play and want to win so bad that I have to temper all of that when I get there,” Smoltz commented.
The tournament has successfully raised over $8 million for various regional and national charities. American Century Investments dedicates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and actively promotes fundraising at the event to encourage direct donations to Stowers annually.
Viewers can catch the tournament broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Smoltz, an eight-time All-Star, enjoyed a distinguished 21-season career in Major League Baseball, with 20 of those seasons spent with the Braves. He concluded his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.
Throughout his career, Smoltz amassed a record of 213 wins and 155 losses, with an earned run average of 3.33 and 154 saves. This save total reflects his successful transition to a relief pitcher for several seasons following his Tommy John surgery.
