PGA Tour: Smylie Kaufman talks Augusta Nationwide, NBC Sports activities in Q&A

Thirty-two-year-old Smylie Kaufman has rapidly turn into one of the crucial fashionable people in all of golf.

He has his personal podcast, The Smylie Present, the place he interviews gamers and anybody throughout the golf world, discussing numerous topics, from golf tricks to journeys he has taken. He’s additionally a stalwart on NBC Sports activities broadcasts, strolling with marquee teams and offering large intel on what is definitely occurring on the course. His easy-going demeanor, charming humorousness, and talent to narrate to so many various kinds of folks have turned him right into a star.

However Kaufman spent just a few years battling it out on the PGA Tour earlier than changing into a staple in your screens. He even gained the 2015 Shriners Youngsters’s Open, coming from six strokes again on Sunday to win by one. He shot a 61 that day at TPC Summerlin.

Six months later, he discovered himself within the closing group on the 2016 Masters, paired with Jordan Spieth. In case you are studying this, you probably know what occurred to Spieth on that fateful Sunday—Kaufman touches on that in our dialog beneath.

Every week later, although, his wrist turned a problem. That harm would plague him for years to come back as he struggled to tee it up in PGA Tour occasions, not to mention contend in them. He then missed 32 cuts throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and by that time, his psychological well being started to bother him. He misplaced his confidence in his swing and himself.

Kaufman made 5 begins on the PGA Tour in 2019, lacking 4 cuts. He then took a fast journey to the Korn Ferry Tour, making seven begins however lacking the minimize in six. He withdrew from the opposite occasion he performed in after an opening-round 81.

That briefly explains why he ultimately determined to do one thing else in golf. So, fortunately, ESPN invited him to hitch its ESPN+ broadcast throughout the 2022 PGA Championship, and nicely, the remaining is historical past.

One on One with Smylie Kaufman, the previous PGA Tour professional who’s now an NBC Sports activities star:

(Editor’s Observe: This dialog has been barely edited and modified for readability and readability.)

SB Nation: Did you ever envision that you just’d turn into a broadcaster after your taking part in profession?

Smylie Kaufman: No. I inform folks on a regular basis it’s the dream job I didn’t know I had desires of getting.

So, I’ve been very lucky to land on my ft, and it’s one thing that, within the recreation of golf, and to be concerned on the highest stage of the game, it actually has turn into a dream job.

Folks ask me on a regular basis, ‘Are you gonna flip professional once more?’

To which I say, ‘Why would I ever go away this?’

Photograph by Ben Jared/PGA Tour by way of Getty Pictures

This is among the coolest issues ever. I get to journey on the PGA Tour throughout the most effective weeks of the yr. I’ve gotten to expertise a Ryder Cup now, a Presidents Cup, two Open Championships, two U.S. Opens, and, in fact, the unbelievable PGA tour calendar that NBC has. It’s simply been very rewarding and really enjoyable, and it’s a completely completely different stage of busy than earlier than.

I’ve much more occurring now than I did. I feel again to once I was nonetheless taking part in, how a lot I actually practiced and labored a routine to the purpose that once I present up now and play golf, my expectations are, you realize, nonetheless excessive. However then I received to remind myself, ‘Dude, you don’t observe or play. So, let’s relax a bit bit right here in your expectations.’

However simply to place a bow in your query, yeah. I might have by no means dreamed of it, nevertheless it’s been a variety of enjoyable.

SB: My understanding is that ESPN took a shot on you at Southern Hills, proper?

Kaufman: That’s the place it began. I used to be at Southern Hills for the PGA Championship.

It was sort of scary as a result of I had no coaching. It was simply, ‘Go put in your headset and go on the market.’ The one recommendation I received wasn’t even good recommendation. It was really scary recommendation.

They stated, ‘That is sort of a sink or swim kind of factor. You both can do it or you possibly can’t.” And I used to be like, ‘Huh. Okay. Effectively, I don’t know if I needs to be nervous or ought to I attempt too arduous.’

So I began on the again 9, placed on my headset, and received to the underside of the hill. Nevertheless it was a troublesome week for our headsets, and I wouldn’t have recognized this. It was my first time ever having a headset on, and the static was simply so unhealthy. And now I do know that if that occurs, I simply speak to my producer and say, ‘Hey, I can’t hear something. Don’t convey me in. I’ve received static in my ear.’

However anyway, at Southern Hills, I’m simply making an attempt to do my job. So Will Zalatoris is there and I’ll always remember this. He’s in the appropriate tough, behind a small tree, and in a buried Bermuda lie. He’s going to a entrance pin, and so my golf mind and PGA Tour mind are pondering, ‘He can’t hit this inside 30 ft.’ In order that’s what I stated. That was my first setup of a shot. Then Willy Z whacked his wedge out of there and hit it to about 4 ft. So I’m pondering, ‘Man, it is a robust begin, and I nonetheless can’t hear something.’

Fortunately, the day received higher because the day went on. However it’s a must to study this job on the fly. And I’m glad I’ve been in a position to study from a variety of actually proficient folks on this business.

SB: What would you take into account crucial broadcasting lesson you’ve discovered over the previous few years? So as to add to that, who did you get that lesson from?

Kaufman: I’ve obtained a few good classes. The primary one was from Trevor Immelman. I labored with him earlier than he received the CBS lead analyst function.

He was performing some Golf Channel work within the fall, I suppose, possibly two years in the past. He was the analyst, however he has additionally been an on-course walker, which is what I used to be doing. So, he simply tried to stretch my boundaries a bit: ‘Clarify why a participant is pondering this. Inform me greater than it’s 157 yards to the pin.’

He even stated, ‘Simply go an entire day, don’t even give me a quantity, and simply give me something that you just discover fascinating.’ That simply expanded the function for me. It’s very straightforward to get into, you realize, 157 yards to the pin and provides all these numbers.

In order that was a helpful lesson Trevor gave me there.

And there are different classes, too, like understanding time. How a lot time do you will have on the air?

Some days, you’re not in rhythm as a result of the published goes to different teams, and your man—it relies on how your man is taking part in as a result of I solely name reside golf photographs—I don’t name any tape photographs—so if we’re there reside, you hear me, if you happen to’re with my group and we’re not reside, you don’t hear me.

Understanding time has been a helpful lesson. There have been another issues that aren’t fairly as essential, however these are the highest two.

SB: How did the Friday Joyful Hour come about?

Kaufman: It’s humorous. So in Phoenix, I knew they wished to do one thing on the sixteenth gap at TPC Scottsdale, and I discovered this out as a result of they have been making an attempt to get, I feel, Travis Kelce, they have been making an attempt to get possibly Jimmy Fallon. I suppose they’d Kevin Kisner locked as much as do it, in order that they went by means of the listing of making an attempt to get any individual and couldn’t discover anyone to do it.

And they also stated, ‘We couldn’t discover anyone to do that. Do you need to do it?’

So I stated, ‘Hell yeah, I wanna do it.’ And so that is earlier than comfortable hour actually began.

However the thought was to be there on Saturday afternoon with all the large teams coming by means of.

Photograph by Ben Jared/PGA Tour by way of Getty

And the WM Phoenix Open simply occurred to have the worst climate ever this yr. It was chilly, windy, wet. So, sadly for us, due to the restarts and them not being on time due to the schedule, we had the again half of the wave come by means of that night, so we didn’t have the entire leaders on our facet. So we received the again half of the wave, after which Kisner and I went full tilt. We actually leaned all the way in which in and simply stated, ‘You already know what, we’re going to have an excellent time with this—it could be similar to if Kis and I have been sitting there at a bar watching the golf, saying precisely what involves our thoughts. Granted, not all the pieces got here out that pops into our brains, or we in all probability wouldn’t be working anymore. Nevertheless it was a variety of enjoyable, and I feel NBC and our executives realized that, whether or not it was Kis being there or not, they simply felt like we wanted to maintain doing this.

So, Friday gave the impression to be the spherical early sufficient within the week to the place we’re not taking away from the golf expertise on the weekend. You possibly can have guys who simply received off the course come on the present and inform us about how the course is taking part in and their rounds, and personalize the participant. So it’s actually helped, I feel. First off, from my standpoint, the gamers, I’ve loads to thank them for as a result of they gave their time up, nevertheless it’s additionally given us a possibility to get to know these gamers a bit bit extra.

I really feel like I can open these guys up, and we’re having a dialog, and it’s not fairly media-based. It’s way more like, ‘Hey, we’re simply speaking store,’ and that’s what I would like it to be. After all, we’ll throw in some enjoyable manufacturing parts they’ll should react to. They don’t know what’s coming. And if we have now sufficient time, we will actually nail it.

As an illustration, on the U.S. Open this yr, I didn’t know Bryson DeChambeau could be the US Open Joyful Hour visitor till 20 minutes earlier than.

I’d completed all of the planning as if he was going to do it, however I didn’t know if he was really gonna say, ‘Hey, really, yeah, I’m in.’

So, Joyful Hour will be very aggravating getting company, however once they do present up, it’s gone very well. I’ve gotten a variety of actually good suggestions from the followers simply strolling on the grounds, individuals who simply actually get pleasure from watching it. I might have by no means dreamed at the start of the yr that this might have been a part of my calendar yr, nevertheless it’s been nice.

SB: Who do you look as much as for inspiration within the broadcasting area? Do you will have any favourite announcers or producers that you just admire?

Kaufman: You already know, that’s an awesome query. That’s in all probability a query that not many individuals ask as a result of I feel you hear folks speak on the TV, and also you in all probability don’t take into consideration us leaning on folks. However I really feel that Curt Byrum and I’ve a extremely good relationship, and he’s not afraid to inform me, ‘Nice job,’ however he’s additionally the primary individual to say, ‘Hey, we have to work on this,’ or, ‘We in all probability might have completed extra of this.’

He’s been on this enterprise for a really very long time and is superb at something he does. I’ve leaned on Curt, and we have now a extremely good relationship.

After which Dan Hicks has been any individual that I’ve all the time been in a position to go to for something. You already know, getting with NBC, I’ve had some very massive teams in some very massive moments, and it’s completely different while you get to 16, 17, and 18, at massive, massive occasions about the way you set the stage, how the visitors needs to be—and simply understanding how we’re going to set this all up.

In order that’s been a little bit of a studying curve as a result of typically you need to let these moments breathe, allow them to simply unfold, and have Dan, the nice play-by-play man he’s, arrange the scene in that second. I feel I’ve needed to study when to step in and when to step out in these cases.

Photograph by James Gilbert/PGA Tour by way of Getty Pictures

SB: You’ve gotten the Smiley Present, too. How does podcasting examine to broadcasting? And what’s your favourite second thus removed from the Smiley Present?

Kaufman: The present has helped me develop as an interviewer. As straightforward as I assumed it could be, I really feel it’s a problem. It’s one thing that I really feel like I’ve needed to develop in. I’ve needed to study what I do nicely and what I don’t do nicely and attempt to enhance in these areas.

And I really feel just like the present has been nice for me to do this. Actually, it was a seamless transition into the Joyful Hour stuff due to the present. I’m already having these conversations with these guys on the podcast.

And that’s the place I feel NBC was pondering, ‘All proper, he sort of already does this. Let’s throw him on TV and have him do it.’

However I feel my favourite episodes… Gosh, I imply, I’ve had so many nice company, and truthfully, it’s arduous to choose only one. However my favourite one would in all probability be Viktor Holand, who was enjoyable as a result of he had such an awesome yr in 2023.

I had some actually fascinating and humorous moments with him on the Ryder Cup, however then we additionally broke down his golf swing and chipping. So we sort of golf-nerded it out.

We talked about what an awesome yr he had.

Viktor Holland was in all probability one of the crucial fascinating episodes we have now had. We’ve got him on the books to do it once more, and we’re going to have him again on, which I feel can be actually fascinating to listen to, ‘Okay, final yr was unbelievable. Now, inform us about this yr as a result of it was such a curler coaster.’ So, I’m wanting ahead to that subsequent dialog.

SB: Me too, and I like your podcast. Selfishly, my favourite second in your present was while you guys talked about your Eire journey.

Kaufman: Yeah, that’s not shocking. I feel lots of people get pleasure from boys’ golf journeys, and if you happen to throw them in Eire, it’s like, ‘Okay, give me the news.’

SB: What was hilarious, a minimum of for me, was you performed County Louth two days after I did.

Kaufman: Oh, no approach! That place is epic and really a lot underrated.

SB: It’s so underrated. I really wrote an article about how I feel it’s essentially the most underrated course in Eire. I liked it, and I can’t wait to return.

Kaufman: It had an ideal mixture of Irish surroundings, the dunes that body the holes, correct hyperlinks, you realize, actually good assessments, and simply the format. I simply felt prefer it was unbelievable.

It was in all probability my favourite course of the entire bunch as a result of it simply mixed all the pieces.

We did all the pieces, too. We went scenic, then very dunesy, then straight hyperlinks model with Portmarnock, however while you get to County Louth, it’s a mixture of all of them.

SB: It’s so cool, and no person actually is aware of about it right here within the States.

Kaufman: It’s simply so loopy. We confirmed up, and about 40 or 50 folks have been on the tee. It was nice.

SB: It was humorous as a result of the membership captain despatched me an image of you guys actually two days after I performed with him. Too humorous. I like listening to about how a lot you like County Louth, which leads me to my subsequent query: what’s your favourite course on this planet?

Kaufman: That’s an awesome query. There’s one thing particular about stepping on the grounds at Augusta Nationwide that I feel will all the time be such a enjoyable expertise for me. Understanding that I’ve stepped on that first tee, with a possibility to win a inexperienced jacket, brings again recollections of not solely taking part in but additionally my childhood of watching this place. It’s a golf course that I get pleasure from taking part in, too.

In order that’s the one which involves thoughts. I do know it’s such a no matter reply. Nevertheless it must be there.

SB: Comprehensible! And that could be a good segue to my subsequent query: The 2016 Masters. You’re within the closing group. You didn’t have the day you wished, however you witnessed one of the crucial unlucky tragedies in Masters historical past. What’s going by means of your thoughts there?

Kaufman: Actually, I wasn’t even calculating it in any respect as a result of I nonetheless had Jordan Spieth profitable. He makes the bogies at 10 and 11, however they have been simply so no matter that I didn’t even assume he was making bogeys as a result of he had performed so nicely and made so many putts on the entrance.

Then, I feel strolling to the thirteenth tee is once I began doing the mathematics as a result of I made a birdie.

After which I used to be like, ‘Wait, he did what?’ I’m making an attempt to determine what he made, and I used to be like, holy crap. It’s a seven. So now I’m making an attempt to determine how shut I’m to the lead as a result of I’m pondering, ‘Do I’ve an opportunity now?’

You actually don’t know till you get across the nook on 13. We each hit good three woods after which walked as much as the inexperienced. Then I might see that Danny Willett was nicely out in entrance and that I wanted to do some work, which I sadly didn’t.

Photograph by David Cannon/Getty Pictures

I really performed nicely that day. It was the most effective 81 I’ve ever shot. I simply gave away so many strokes on the greens and had a number of three-putts. I’m not a three-putter who struggles with the pace.

It’s simply arduous to get beneath the opening at Augusta Nationwide on a Sunday, and I used to be a foot away from having tap-in birdies, and I used to be ending up in some bizarre spots, however I’m happy with the way in which I performed that week, and it was an awesome reminiscence. In case you’re going to do it as soon as, you may as nicely play within the closing group, give your self an opportunity, and have a fairly good seat on the twelfth gap.

SB: What’s one a part of the sport that you just imagine amateurs ought to work on essentially the most?

Gosh, you realize, I imagine it is best to begin on the gap and work your self again.

I truthfully imagine simplicity on this recreation is essential. I might simply say, ‘All the time take extra membership.’ I feel that’s essential, all the time to take extra membership, however I might begin with creating a brief recreation as a result of when you have an excellent quick recreation, even with poor gamers that I play with, I simply really feel like these gamers can get away with extra—whether or not it’s a scramble otherwise you’re simply in a position to be a bit bit extra aggressive on this recreation. Hitting the lengthy ball is nice, and chasing pace is enjoyable, however beginning on the gap and dealing your self again is extra essential for enhancing your recreation.

Now, I wouldn’t say that for everyone, however I might in all probability put that as a common phrase of recommendation: begin the entire thing, learn the way to not three-putt, and discover ways to hit out of bunkers so that you’re not throwing photographs away.

I feel that’s the place you see the most important soar for golfers with handicaps: ‘Why did I soar from a seven to a 3?’ More often than not, it’s not as a result of they received a brand new driver they usually’re hitting it in addition to they ever have. It’s probably as a result of their quick recreation has improved. There are many solutions to go together with, however that’s in all probability the place I’m going.

SB: And at last, what excites you about your new relationship with Swag Golf?

Kaufman: I’m actually excited that it’s an modern, younger, and completely different kind of golf firm that’s entered the area with such an awesome natural viewers. And at the present time, particularly with me being in media, I’ve a variety of respect for firms that may simply put out actually great things and develop a cult following. Swag Golf has completed that to a T. They’ve completed an unbelievable job, from the attire to the pinnacle covers to the putter I like to make use of. I really did fairly nicely with it at this time.

They’ve actually checked off a variety of containers and developed such an awesome viewers, and I simply occurred to be one in all them. As quickly as I spotted how nice they have been doing and that this aligned precisely with how I might say my profession went once I tried to choose sponsors. I love to do issues which might be completely different than different folks, and fortunately, there are a variety of different individuals who share the identical sentiment as me with regards to Swag Golf.

SB: What’s your favourite product of theirs?

Smylie: It’s the Boss Putter.

Then, truthfully, there’s a bunch of head covers. The listing goes on. Scrolling down their feed, you’ll say, ‘Oh, yeah, I like that one. Oh, I like this one.’ You find yourself doing this on nearly each different put up. I’m a inventive man, so once I see actually cool head covers, they catch my eye. I’ve all the time collected head covers, particularly the cool ones I used to get on tour. Swag Golf has actually taken that to the subsequent stage.

However the putter, although—it’s referred to as The Boss, and I’ve the two.0 now.

I’ve all the time thought-about myself a extremely good putter, and I wouldn’t have switched to one thing if I felt like, ‘Ah, I’m not going to make use of one thing that wasn’t going to assist me as a result of I nonetheless wished to play good golf.’

However I really feel like I’ve been placing in addition to I ever have, and I’m simply shocked at how good it’s.

The sight strains are so clear. I discover it very easy to line up, and that is for somebody who doesn’t get to get on a chalk line like I usually do and do all my drills. It’s good to place one thing down that feels snug in my arms.

The eyeline is simple for me to line up, so I don’t really feel I have to observe that a lot. I really feel snug the place I need to present up, like at this time, and I really feel like I can nonetheless make putts from nearly in every single place.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Remember to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.