Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith attended Wednesday’s practice at the Bridgestone Invitational as part of a charity photo shoot and meet-and-greet with kids.
And, yes, he did wear a shirt.
Smith was there in coordination with Flashes of Hope, which paired Smith and PGA Tour players Jason Day and Matt Kuchar with kids facing life-threatening illnesses.
The shoot was a part of this week’s larger Birdies for Kids event, an initiative that began with the partnering of the Bridgestone Invitational, Northern Ohio Golf Charities and local hospitals, along with PGA Tour players Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner and Ben Curtis.
Smith also spent some time on the driving range with U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson and a few others.
“I like J.R.,” Johnson said. “He’s a nice guy. He loves golf. He’s a good player. He hit a few balls on the range for us. He can play.”
More than a week ago, Johnson was watching Smith in his own sport. While being interviewed after Johnson won his first major tournament, he was still glued to the TV to watch Smith and the Cavs play the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“ ‘Guys, you can wait for a minute — we’re watching Game 7,’ ” Johnson said he told reporters. “I wasn’t going one way or the other, but I wanted to see LeBron and Cleveland get a win. But I like the Warriors, too. I know a couple of the guys. … It was just good to finally see a really good, close game.”
Olympic suggestions
Australia’s Adam Scott withdrew from the Rio Olympics in April, citing difficulties fitting the competition into his schedule. Golf returns to the Summer Games for the first time since 1904.
Defections have continued and there could be more, especially among players who plan to start a family soon and want to avoid the risk of the Zika virus, which causes serious birth defects.
Scott said he’s considered the issues with golf in the Olympics and listened to what his peers have said during interviews. The 2011 Bridgestone champion offered several fixes, including making it an amateur competition.
“I’ve always believed that having the amateurs in would have been the best way for it to go,” Scott said. “If the idea is to grow the game, I’d make an argument that having the amateurs in the Olympics would grow the game the most, not us.
“If I think back to when I was 16 or 17 years old and a promising golfer, making the Olympics would be something that I’d want to do very much and also be a very big deal, not only to me but to my country.
“Stats show that if they get involved early, more people stick with the game, and I think having a young golfer aspire to be an Olympian is more realistic as an amateur than a professional.”
Olympic golf competition is Aug. 11-14 for the men and Aug. 17-20 for the women. That follows on the heels of two majors — the British Open July 14-17 and the PGA Championship July 28-31.
Then, the four-round FedExCup playoffs begin on Aug. 25, with the Barclays at Bethpage Black.
“I think they should change the format for sure — and potentially the qualification system — for lots of reasons. But just having another 72-hole golf tournament with a weaker-than-most fields doesn’t really pique my interest and make me prioritize that,” Scott said. “The big challenge if professionals are going to stay, they’re going to have to find a way to fit professional golf in the Olympics. All the other sports … all their other events are programmed and based around the Olympics and ours is not. It’s just kind of shoved in there at a very critical time for everything I’ve ever dreamed of winning.”
Scott said he sees problems beyond Rio and said a team event or mixed event should be discussed. The men’s and women’s fields are now limited to 60, with a maximum of four players per country based on World Golf Rankings, and two for countries without a player in the top 15.
“Just have a full field, 150 guys, get all the best players and give the other countries some opportunity,” Scott said. “A couple months ago the ninth-ranked player in the world wasn’t going to the Olympics. Really, that doesn’t make sense to me.”
Johnson, meanwhile, is waiting to hear back with more information but has had most of his security concerns addressed and currently plans to attend.
“At this point I’m going to go to the Olympics and represent my country, and I’m looking forward to it,” Johnson said.
Mr. Ambassador
Davis Love III was honored by the Northern Ohio Golf Charities as the 2016 Ambassador of Golf in a ceremony on the first tee at Firestone Country Club Wednesday. He was introduced by PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.
Love III became the first recipient of the award while also playing in an event in the same week, as he’ll tee off at 1:36 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
“I got a little nervous when Tim called me and asked if I’d receive the Ambassador of Golf award,” Love III said. “He said, ‘We can fly you in on Wednesday and get you right back out.’ I said, ‘Tim, well, I’m in the tournament.’
“I thank the Northern Ohio Golf Charities immensely for this honor. I think my dad would be more proud of this award than anything I’ve ever done on a golf course.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ