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John Smoltz will be in the field for the American century championship next month at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club in Nevada, and he seems to leave as a master.
Baseball Hall of Famer and Fox Sports MLB Broadcaster ended up in fourth place in the celebrity tournament in 2024 and tied to 12. In 2023.
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John Smoltz hits a shot during the American century championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday. (Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ via Imag Content Services, LLC)
Smoltz explained to Pakinomist Digital in a recent conversation, he has “no excuses” this year for him not at least to be contrary to winning the tournament.
“I’VE BEEN DOING IT NOW, I DON’T KNOW, 13-14 years, I got two brand new hips, I Training Getting Stronger and No Longer Losing 30 Yards to All These Young Whippersnappers Who Just Bomb It. So, there is no excuses for me not winning point Winner to Ever Win The American Century Championship.
Smoltz suggested he would be even more confident in himself if he was able to “find out how to place these greens.”
“I finished in second place a couple of times, I finished the top 10 very much, top five, but it’s going to have to make birdies and I just haven’t made enough birdies,” he said. “If it came down to stroke, there is no doubt that I would always be right there, but you still have to make birdies. So I work on some of these things while talking, I do all these interviews and zoom from my golf club, Hawks Ridge when I put the time that puts the work and to put on the shoulders, until two months ago I get stronger, I train.
Golf Legend Annika Sorenstam speaks charitable efforts ahead of the American century celebrity tournament
John Smoltz looks at his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the American Family Insurance Championship at the University Ridge Golf Course on June 11, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
“I have no excuses, I can walk 16 miles now with two new hips, in the past I was divided and tried to play a 5-and-half hour of golf and it was very difficult to do and I know it sounds like a bunch of excuses, but I can’t go through the airport without it going, so I got new metal in my body.”
Smoltz, like many athletes and celebrities who have participated in the tournament, circles it every year on his calendar.
“I think this is the greatest time in the calendar in the middle of what I do, and probably everyone else does,” he said. “An event that gathers 91, or whatever it is, different personalities, different lifestyle, and we all get to test our skills and mix up at Lake Tahoe, it’s great. American Century is doing an incredible, incredible job of putting this in good last 30 years and I’m lucky to be part of it.
Smoltz won a World Series in 1995 with Atlanta Braves and the National League Cy Young Award in 1996. When one was needed, he would be asked to get it.
However, he admitted that there is a pressure that comes with playing golf that he has never really experienced on the haug.
“It’s not even close-golf is more nerve-wracking than anything I’ve ever done in baseball,” he said. “You can load the bases and get a 3-0 count of the biggest hitter, and I’m still there rather than necessarily losing your turn that comes down the stretch and everyone is wondering why you hit that shot. So golf is about you and the mother’s nature, and there are no teammates to bail in or out.
“And you know I played a team sport all my life, so some of the mixed results. You can beat badly and win, you can’t play golf badly and win, so I think golf has its own mental toughness that it ranks in itself, even if it is not a physically demanding sport that some will claim, and I will claim that it is in demand. play this game as long as they can, and play it much longer than their sport made it possible for them to play.
Atlanta Braves Pitcher, #29, John Smoltz sets against Washington Nationals in the third round at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, on May 14, 2007. (James Lang-usa Today Sports)
The festivities for the American century championship begin on July 9 and run through July 13.
