AP

The John Smoltz Experiment didn’t go so well.

The former Braves pitcher and Hall of Famer shot rounds of 84-87 before missing the cut at the South Georgia Classic by 27 shots.

If we are going to get down to brass tax, there are two schools of thought when it concerns Smoltz playing in a Nationwide Tour event.

First, many believe it’s unfair to the golfers out there trying to make a living playing on the Nationwide Tour. A notoriously difficult way to make money, every start for a guy on the tour is a possible pay check and step towards their goal of playing on the PGA Tour. For someone like Smoltz or Jerry Rice to take a spot in the tournament is selfish.

On the other hand, both Rice and Smoltz were given sponsors exemptions. The sponsors of the tournament get to hand out three or four free passes a week to anyone they would like. The sponsors exemptions, in theory, are there to get the best players not already in the field. Also, from a business standpoint, giving a spot to someone like Smoltz will undoubtedly give the tournament a boost in sales and exposure. It makes perfect sense to the sponsor, thinking from a monetary standpoint, to get a guy that will draw a buzz.

So which school of thought is right and which isn’t?

At the end of the day, the tournament is put on by a sponsor and it is up to their discretion who they would like to give their exemptions to. No one is forcing these guys to choose golf as their profession. If it becomes too hard or too expensive to make a living playing golf, nothing is stopping them from moving on to a more stable career. The sponsors job is to create interest.

While it would stand that the guys struggling to get a spot deserve a break every once in a while, it also holds water that this was Smoltz’s first go at the Nationwide Tour and by nearly all accounts, he was believed to be far more suitable than Jerry Rice.

Smoltz plays off of a plus-2 handicap and has been hailed by Tiger Woods as one of the best amateurs he ever played with. It should also be pointed out that the Nationwide Tour has players that are really, really good. So, Smoltz missing the cut was no big surprise to golf fans.

The point of the exemption, however, was not whether or not Smoltz would win the tournament, or even make the cut for that matter. The point was to get the Nationwide Tour, which hardly makes a blip on sports’ radar, to garner some national attention.

First State Bank and Trust Company, who put on the South Georgia Classic, did just that. By giving an exemption to Smoltz, their brand and tournament made an appearance in prestigious publications like the New York Times and USA Today, and finally, Playing From the Wrong Fairway. Mission accomplished.

Smoltz struggled this past week, there is no doubt about it. The pitcher even said he didn’t want to take a spot from another player, although he obviously did. The fact of the matter is that with Smoltz’s presence casual fans will tune in to see how he is doing. With the viewership and exposure comes more money to the Tour and possibly larger purses.

To have Smoltz move the needle this much may have cost one guy a spot in this week’s tournament, but in the grand scheme of things it could be more beneficial to that player.

Furthermore, the winner of the event was a Monday qualifier. Who knows, maybe Ted Potter, Jr. was the next guy on the exemption list and Smoltz took his spot. Instead of complaining about something out of his control, Potter qualified on Monday and shot weekend rounds of 65-68 to win the whole tournament. Good on ya, Potter.

And good for the Nationwide Tour. Creating a stir and conversation keeps the tour in the minds of golf fans and there’s no doubt about that, it’s a good thing.