I’m pretty sure this is not how J.R. Smith envisioned his college golf debut going.
The former NBA star took to the course at Alamance Country Club in North Carolina on Tuesday to take part in the third round of Elon’s Phoenix Invitational. Smith is representing his school, North Carolina A&T at his first collegiate golf tournament, but on the third hole, of today’s round, things took an unusual turn for the worse.
While searching for his wayward drive on hole three, Smith’s pull cart ran over the hornet’s nest, which was hidden in pine straw. Smith came running out from the area, waving his arms. But not before he was stung. The 36-year-old two-time NBA champion received medical attention before finishing his round.
Here’s a clip of the aftermath:
Unfortunately for Smith, the sting wasn’t the only rough part of his round. He also failed to get a birdie, en route to an 8-over round of 79. He finished the three-round tournament with a score of 29-over, good enough for 81st place out of 84 competitors.
He didn’t let his score or the hornet sting discourage him following his round, though. Via ESPN:
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“I got a lot of great feedback,” Smith said. “Chris Paul was telling me guys were talking about it in the locker room. Guys are really looking for my scores, so I got to take care of business so when I see them it ain’t going to be too much backlash.”
Smith’s North Carolina A&T team finished the tournament in 11th out of 13 teams. They were 57 strokes behind Elon University, who went on to win the tournament.
