‘I want to see what my competitive juices take me to’: MLB Hall of Famer eyes Champions Tour
John Smoltz, a Hall of Fame pitcher after 22 seasons in the MLB, said he's hoping to compete on the Champions Tour following hip surgery.
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If there’s one thing that Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz won’t shy away from, it’s a little competition — assuming his body and mind are capable.
That’s the current dilemma the 55-year-old is facing, as Smoltz recently told TMZ that he’s hoping to compete on the Champions Tour following a couple of hip surgeries. This would be Smoltz’s latest attempt at joining the Champions Tour — but it all comes down to his health.
“I’ve got a new hip. I’ve got one more hip to do, and after that I want to see what my competitive juices take me to,” Smoltz told TMZ. “I’ll be 56 this year. So time’s running out a little bit on the competitive side, but golf is definitely something I’m passionate about.”
For those unfamiliar, Smoltz is quite handy with a golf club in his hand. In 2018, he qualified for the U.S. Senior Open and regularly competes in pro-ams. It was during his first attempt at the Champions Tour that he tried pushing his body, eventually experiencing major pain.
Added Smoltz, “I tried to play hurt, and I tried to do it a little too long. If my other hip gets done, and I can rehab it and get back to where I think I’ve learned in the game of golf of how to navigate that, I want to try and qualify for things again.”
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Smoltz is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, having played 22 seasons, winning one Cy Young Award and a World Series. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
But baseball is just one of his athletic gifts, as his golf game also receives high praise.
In 2022, Tiger Woods even gave his seal of approval, saying Smoltz joined Tony Romo as the best non-golfer the 15-time major champ has ever played with.
Who’s the best celebrity golfer Tiger has ever played against?
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 7, 2022#CapitalOnesTheMatch goes down Dec. 10 on TNT
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It’s unknown how Smoltz’s latest attempt at the Champions Tour will go, or if his body will allow him to compete at such a high level. But even if he falls short of his goal of joining the Tour, he said he’s still going to try and qualify for competitive tournaments.
“As long as they’re going to keep score, and they’re going to have a scoreboard, I want to be on the leaderboard.”
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