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 well-liked 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 great 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 just a few years battling it out on the PGA Tour earlier than turning into a staple in your screens. He even received 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 closing group on the 2016 Masters, paired with Jordan Spieth. If you’re studying this, you doubtless know what occurred to Spieth on that fateful Sunday—Kaufman touches on that in our dialog under.

Per 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 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 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 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 simply’d turn out to be a broadcaster after your enjoying 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 toes, and it’s one thing that, within the recreation 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?’

Picture by Ben Jared/PGA Tour through Getty Photographs

This is likely one of the coolest issues ever. I get to journey on the PGA Tour throughout one of the best 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 very totally different degree of busy than earlier than.

I’ve much more occurring now than I did. I believe again to once I was nonetheless enjoying, 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 already know, 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, however 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 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 kind of factor. You both can do it or you’ll be able to’t.” And I used to be like, ‘Huh. Okay. Properly, I don’t know if I needs to be nervous or ought to I strive too arduous.’

So I began on the again 9, placed on my headset, and bought to the underside of the hill. But it surely was a tricky 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 discuss to my producer and say, ‘Hey, I can’t hear something. Don’t carry me in. I’ve bought static in my ear.’

However anyway, at Southern Hills, I’m simply attempting to do my job. So Will Zalatoris is there and I’ll always remember this. He’s in the correct 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 within 30 toes.’ 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 toes. So I’m pondering, ‘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 it’s a must to be taught this job on the fly. And I’m glad I’ve been in a position to be taught from a variety of actually gifted folks on this business.

SB: What would you think about a very powerful 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 bought the CBS lead analyst function.

He was doing a little Golf Channel work within the fall, I assume, 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 mentioned, ‘Simply go a complete day, don’t even give me a quantity, and simply give me something that you simply discover attention-grabbing.’ That simply expanded the function for me. It’s very simple to get into, you already know, 157 yards to the pin and provides all these numbers.

In order that was a useful 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 enjoying 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, should you’re with my group and we’re not reside, you don’t hear me.

Understanding time has been a useful 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 had been attempting to get, I believe, Travis Kelce, they had been attempting to get possibly Jimmy Fallon. I assume they’d Kevin Kisner locked as much as do it, so that they went by way of the checklist of attempting 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 joyful hour actually began.

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

Picture by Ben Jared/PGA Tour through 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 way of that night, so we didn’t have the entire leaders on our facet. So we bought 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 mentioned, ‘You realize what, we’re going to have time with this—it will be similar to if Kis and I had 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. But it surely was a variety 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 would have liked 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 enjoying and their rounds, and personalize the participant. So it’s actually helped, I believe. First off, from my standpoint, the gamers, I’ve loads to thank them for as a result of they gave their time up, however 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 rather more like, ‘Hey, we’re simply speaking store,’ and that’s what I need it to be. In fact, we’ll throw in some enjoyable manufacturing parts they’ll should react to. They don’t know what’s coming. And if we’ve 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 can 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 could be very nerve-racking getting company, however after they do present up, it’s gone rather well. I’ve gotten a variety of actually good suggestions from the followers simply strolling on the grounds, individuals who simply actually take pleasure in watching it. I’d have by no means dreamed at first of the yr that this could have been a part of my calendar yr, however it’s been nice.

SB: Who do you look as much as for inspiration within the broadcasting area? Do you’ve gotten any favourite announcers or producers that you simply admire?

Kaufman: You realize, that’s an incredible query. That’s in all probability a query that not many individuals ask as a result of I believe you hear folks discuss 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’ve a extremely good relationship.

After which Dan Hicks has been any person that I’ve at all times been in a position to go to for something. You realize, getting with NBC, I’ve had some very large teams in some very large moments, and it’s totally different once you get to 16, 17, and 18, at large, large 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 good play-by-play man he’s, arrange the scene in that second. I believe I’ve needed to be taught when to step in and when to step out in these cases.

Picture by James Gilbert/PGA Tour through Getty Photographs

SB: You’ve got 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 simple as I assumed it will 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 be taught 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. Truthfully, 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 believe NBC was pondering, ‘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 arduous to select only one. However my favourite one would in all probability be Viktor Holand, who was enjoyable as a result of he had such an incredible 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 incredible yr he had.

Viktor Holland was in all probability one of the attention-grabbing episodes we’ve had. Now we have him on the books to do it once more, and we’re going to have him again on, which I believe shall 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 stunning. I believe lots of people take pleasure in 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 approach! 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 essentially the most underrated course in Eire. I cherished 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 already know, actually good checks, and simply the structure. 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 type with Portmarnock, however once 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 had 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 like County Louth, which leads me to my subsequent query: what’s your favourite course on this planet?

Kaufman: That’s an incredible query. There’s one thing particular about stepping on the grounds at Augusta Nationwide that I believe will at all times be such a enjoyable expertise for me. Realizing that I’ve stepped on that first tee, with a possibility to win a inexperienced jacket, brings again recollections of not solely enjoying but in addition my childhood of watching this place. It’s a golf course that I take pleasure in enjoying, 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 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 unlucky tragedies in Masters historical past. What’s going by way of 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 had 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 believe 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 attempting to determine what he made, and I used to be like, holy crap. It’s a seven. So now I’m attempting 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.

Picture by David Cannon/Getty Photographs

I really performed nicely that day. It was one of the best 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 under the outlet 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 incredible reminiscence. In case you’re going to do it as soon as, you would possibly 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 simply imagine amateurs ought to work on essentially the most?

Gosh, you already know, I imagine you must begin on the gap and work your self again.

I actually imagine simplicity on this recreation is essential. I might simply say, ‘At all times take extra membership.’ I believe that’s essential, at all times to take extra membership, however I’d begin with growing a brief recreation as a result of if in case you have 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 of 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’d in all probability put that as a basic phrase of recommendation: begin the entire thing, learn the way to not three-putt, and learn to hit out of bunkers so that you’re not throwing photographs away.

I believe that’s the place you see the largest bounce for golfers with handicaps: ‘Why did I bounce from a seven to a 3?’ More often than not, it’s not as a result of they bought a brand new driver they usually’re hitting it in addition to they ever have. It’s doubtless 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 progressive, younger, and totally different kind of golf firm that’s entered the area with such an incredible natural viewers. And this present day, particularly with me being in media, I’ve a variety of respect for corporations that may simply put out actually good 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 nicely with it in the present day.

They’ve actually checked off a variety of bins and developed such an incredible viewers, and I simply occurred to be one in every of them. As quickly as I noticed how nice they had 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 might be totally different than different folks, and by chance, there are a variety of different individuals who share the identical sentiment as me in terms of 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 checklist 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 submit. I’m a inventive man, so once I see actually cool head covers, they catch my eye. I’ve at all times collected head covers, particularly the cool ones I used to get on tour. Swag Golf has actually taken that to the subsequent degree.

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

I’ve at all times 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 fingers.

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 in the present day, 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. You’ll want to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.