John Smoltz Shoots 15-over 85 in 1st Round of 2018 US Senior Open

It wasn't often that MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz had a rough day on the mound, but the first round of the 2018 U.S. Senior Open was not kind to him.

The Atlanta Braves legend shot a 15-over 85, recording only five pars and no birdies on the day. It was a rough round essentially from start to finish. He bogeyed his first four holes and his final three, and his struggles were highlighted by a triple bogey on the par-4 15th.

A 15-over performance has him near the bottom of the leaderboard.

"I'm just being honest," Smoltz said, via Eddie Pells of the Associated Press. "I don't have enough game for this course yet."

The right-hander piled up 213 wins, 154 saves and 3,084 strikeouts during his MLB career. But this experience let him know that it's not so easy to switch sports.

"I hit three bad shots, and I shot 85," Smoltz said, via the AP. "It just tells you, from an amateur standpoint, and for people sitting at home, how great these players are."

Then again, just making it to the tournament was quite the accomplishment. The 51-year-old let it be known on Wednesday that this is one of the highlights of his athletic career, via MLB on Fox:

That echoes what he said on Tuesday, via USGA: "It's probably the No. 1 thing that I've ever accomplished. Everything I've been part of before has been a team thing...but an individual role or accomplishment, I haven't had anything anywhere close to this."

The former ballplayer's appearance at the U.S. Senior Open put him in an exclusive club, according to USGA:

Round 1 didn't go the way Smoltz had hoped, but he is still living the dream out on the course.