Michael Smith Literally Standing Out at U.S. Senior Amateur

It won’t be hard to spot Michael Smith among the 156 competitors in the 68th U.S. Senior Amateur at Martis Camp Club. About the only thing taller than the 6-foot-10 former first-round NBA draft pick at the Tom Fazio design are omnipresent pine trees that line the fairways of this picturesque venue. Smith might be the tallest player to ever compete in a USGA championship; University of Texas sophomore Tommy Morrison, who played in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Junior Amateur earlier this year, stands 6 feet, 9 inches. Smith, 58, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., didn’t play golf when he was starring for Brigham Young University in the late 1980s. But after being selected No. 13 overall by the Boston Celtics in 1989, he was introduced to golf by none other than Larry Bird, the legendary Hall of Famer who led Boston to three NBA titles and was the Finals MVP twice. Another ex-Celtic and BYU star, Danny Ainge, also spurred on his interest in golf. For the past 27 years, Smith, who played three seasons with Boston and another with the Los Angeles Clippers, has served as a television color analyst for the Clippers and Utah Jazz. The father of 10 (he has 5 boys and 5 girls) has tried to qualify for several USGA championships but wasn’t successful until this year when he got into the Senior Am field a week ago as the first alternate from the West Valley City, Utah, qualifier. Now he gets to measure himself up against the game’s best 55-and-over players. Or he can borrow the line from “Caddyshack” when asked the question and proudly say, “By height.”