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

Thirty-two-year-old Smylie Kaufman has shortly turn out to be one of the vital in style people in all of golf.

He has his personal podcast, The Smylie Present, the place he interviews gamers and anybody inside the golf world, discussing varied 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 taking place on the course. His easy-going demeanor, charming humorousness, and skill to narrate to so many several types of folks have turned him right into a star.

However Kaufman spent a couple of years battling it out on the PGA Tour earlier than turning into a staple in your screens. He even gained the 2015 Shriners Kids’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 ultimate group on the 2016 Masters, paired with Jordan Spieth. If you’re studying this, you probably know what occurred to Spieth on that fateful Sunday—Kaufman touches on that in our dialog under.

Every week later, although, his wrist grew to become a difficulty. That damage 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 hassle 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 reduce 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 properly, the remainder is historical past.

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

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

SB Nation: Did you ever envision that you just’d turn out to be 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 sport of golf, and to be concerned on the highest degree of the game, it actually has turn out to be a dream job.

Individuals 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 Photographs

This is without doubt one of the coolest issues ever. I get to journey on the PGA Tour throughout the perfect weeks of the yr. I’ve gotten to expertise a Ryder Cup now, a Presidents Cup, two Open Championships, two U.S. Opens, and, after all, the unbelievable PGA tour calendar that NBC has. It’s simply been very rewarding and really enjoyable, and it’s a very completely different degree of busy than earlier than.

I’ve much more occurring now than I did. I believe 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 recognize, nonetheless excessive. However then I bought to remind myself, ‘Dude, you don’t follow or play. So, let’s sit back a bit of bit right here in your expectations.’

However simply to place a bow in your query, yeah. I’d have by no means dreamed of it, nevertheless it’s been quite a lot 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 type 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 bought wasn’t even good recommendation. It was really scary recommendation.

They mentioned, ‘That is type of a sink or swim sort of factor. You both can do it or you may’t.” And I used to be like, ‘Huh. Okay. Properly, I don’t know if I must be nervous or ought to I strive too exhausting.’

So I began on the again 9, placed on my headset, and bought to the underside of the hill. But it surely 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 deliver me in. I’ve bought 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 best 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 considering, ‘He can’t hit this within 30 ft.’ In order that’s what I mentioned. 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 considering, ‘Man, this can be a robust begin, and I nonetheless can’t hear something.’

Fortunately, the day bought higher because the day went on. However you must study this job on the fly. And I’m glad I’ve been capable of study from quite a lot of actually gifted folks on this trade.

SB: What would you think about 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 acquired a few good classes. The primary one was from Trevor Immelman. I labored with him earlier than he bought 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 considering this. Inform me greater than it’s 157 yards to the pin.’

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

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

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

Some days, you’re not in rhythm as a result of the printed goes to different teams, and your man—it is dependent upon how your man is taking part in as a result of I solely name stay golf pictures—I don’t name any tape pictures—so if we’re there stay, you hear me, should you’re with my group and we’re not stay, you don’t hear me.

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

SB: How did the Friday Completely satisfied 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 believe, Travis Kelce, they have been making an attempt to get possibly Jimmy Fallon. I suppose that they had Kevin Kisner locked as much as do it, in order that they went via the listing of making an attempt to get any person and couldn’t discover anyone to do it.

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

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

However the thought was to be there on Saturday afternoon with all the massive teams coming via.

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 via that night, so we didn’t have the entire leaders on our aspect. So we bought the again half of the wave, after which Kisner and I went full tilt. We actually leaned all the best way in and simply mentioned, ‘You realize what, we’re going to have a great 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 every part got here out that pops into our brains, or we most likely wouldn’t be working anymore. But it surely was quite a lot of enjoyable, and I believe NBC and our executives realized that, whether or not it was Kis being there or not, they only 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 bought 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 believe. First off, from my standpoint, the gamers, I’ve lots 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 of 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 far more like, ‘Hey, we’re simply speaking store,’ and that’s what I need it to be. After all, we’ll throw in some enjoyable manufacturing parts they’ll need to react to. They don’t know what’s coming. And if we’ve got sufficient time, we are able to actually nail it.

As an illustration, on the U.S. Open this yr, I didn’t know Bryson DeChambeau could be the US Open Completely satisfied 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, Completely satisfied Hour may be very demanding getting company, however once they do present up, it’s gone very well. I’ve gotten quite a lot of actually good suggestions from the followers simply strolling on the grounds, individuals who simply actually get pleasure from watching it. I’d have by no means dreamed initially of the yr that this may 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 house? Do you’ve gotten any favourite announcers or producers that you just admire?

Kaufman: You realize, that’s an amazing query. That’s most likely a query that not many individuals ask as a result of I believe you hear folks speak on the TV, and also you most likely 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 most likely 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’ve got a extremely good relationship.

After which Dan Hicks has been any person that I’ve all the time been capable of go to for something. You realize, getting with NBC, I’ve had some very massive teams in some very massive moments, and it’s completely different once you get to 16, 17, and 18, at massive, massive occasions about the way you set the stage, how the visitors must 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 generally you need to let these moments breathe, allow them to simply unfold, and have Dan, the good play-by-play man he’s, arrange the scene in that second. I believe 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 Photographs

SB: You could have the Smiley Present, too. How does podcasting evaluate 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 properly and what I don’t do properly and attempt to enhance in these areas.

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

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

However I believe my favourite episodes… Gosh, I imply, I’ve had so many nice company, and actually, it’s exhausting to select only one. However my favourite one would most likely be Viktor Holand, who was enjoyable as a result of he had such an amazing yr in 2023.

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

We talked about what an amazing yr he had.

Viktor Holland was most likely one of the vital attention-grabbing episodes we’ve got had. We have now him on the books to do it once more, and we’re going to have him again on, which I believe will likely be actually attention-grabbing 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 trying ahead to that subsequent dialog.

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

Kaufman: Yeah, that’s not shocking. I believe lots of people get pleasure from boys’ golf journeys, and should you throw them in Eire, it’s like, ‘Okay, give me the inside track.’

SB: What was hilarious, no less than for me, was you performed County Louth two days after I did.

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

SB: It’s so underrated. I really wrote an article about how I believe it’s probably 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 recognize, actually good assessments, and simply the format. I simply felt prefer it was unbelievable.

It was most likely my favourite course of the entire bunch as a result of it simply mixed every part.

We did every part, too. We went scenic, then very dunesy, then straight hyperlinks model with Portmarnock, however once you get to County Louth, it’s a mix of all of them.

SB: It’s so cool, and no one 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 really like listening to about how a lot you’re keen on County Louth, which leads me to my subsequent query: what’s your favourite course on this planet?

Kaufman: That’s an amazing query. There’s one thing particular about stepping on the grounds at Augusta Nationwide that I believe 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 reminiscences 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. But it surely must be there.

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

Kaufman: Truthfully, 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 suppose he was making bogeys as a result of he had performed so properly and made so many putts on the entrance.

Then, I believe strolling to the thirteenth tee is once I began doing the maths 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 considering, ‘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 properly out in entrance and that I wanted to do some work, which I sadly didn’t.

Photograph by David Cannon/Getty Photographs

I really performed properly that day. It was the perfect 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 exhausting to get under 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 pleased with the best way I performed that week, and it was an amazing reminiscence. In the event you’re going to do it as soon as, you would possibly as properly play within the ultimate group, give your self an opportunity, and have a reasonably good seat on the twelfth gap.

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

Gosh, you recognize, I imagine you need to begin on the gap and work your self again.

I actually imagine simplicity on this sport is vital. I might simply say, ‘At all times take extra membership.’ I believe that’s vital, all the time to take extra membership, however I’d begin with creating a brief sport as a result of in case you have a great brief sport, 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 capable of be a bit of bit extra aggressive on this sport. Hitting the lengthy ball is nice, and chasing pace is enjoyable, however beginning on the gap and dealing your self again is extra vital for enhancing your sport.

Now, I wouldn’t say that for everyone, however I’d most likely put that as a common phrase of recommendation: begin the entire thing, find out how to not three-putt, and discover ways to hit out of bunkers so that you’re not throwing pictures away.

I believe 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 bought a brand new driver and so they’re hitting it in addition to they ever have. It’s probably as a result of their brief sport has improved. There are many solutions to go along with, however that’s most likely the place I’m going.

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

Kaufman: I’m actually excited that it’s an progressive, younger, and completely different sort of golf firm that’s entered the house with such an amazing natural viewers. And these days, particularly with me being in media, I’ve quite a lot 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 top covers to the putter I really like to make use of. I really did fairly properly with it at this time.

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

SB: What’s your favourite product of theirs?

Smylie: It’s the Boss Putter.

Then, actually, 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 artistic 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 following degree.

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

I’ve all the time thought of 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 traces 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 palms.

The eyeline is straightforward for me to line up, so I don’t really feel I must follow 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 all over the place.

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