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

Thirty-two-year-old Smylie Kaufman has rapidly change into 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 throughout 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 occurring on the course. His easy-going demeanor, charming humorousness, and talent to narrate to so many several types of individuals 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 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 remaining group on the 2016 Masters, paired with Jordan Spieth. In case you are studying this, you seemingly 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 problem. 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 through 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 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 through the 2022 PGA Championship, and properly, 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 Be aware: This dialog has been barely edited and modified for readability and readability.)

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

Smylie Kaufman: No. I inform individuals 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 stage of the game, it actually has change into 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 depart this?’

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

This is likely one of 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, after all, the unimaginable PGA tour calendar that NBC has. It’s simply been very rewarding and really enjoyable, and it’s a very completely different stage of busy than earlier than.

I’ve much more happening 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 follow or play. So, let’s relax just a little 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, 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 received 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 may’t.” And I used to be like, ‘Huh. Okay. Effectively, I don’t know if I must be nervous or ought to I strive too onerous.’

So I began on the again 9, placed on my headset, and received to the underside of the hill. However it 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 dangerous. 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 attempting to do my job. So Will Zalatoris is there and I’ll always remember this. He’s in the fitting 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, it is a powerful begin, and I nonetheless can’t hear something.’

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

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 acquired a few good classes. The primary one was from Trevor Immelman. I labored with him earlier than he received the CBS lead analyst position.

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 mentioned, ‘Simply go a complete day, don’t even give me a quantity, and simply give me something that you simply discover fascinating.’ That simply expanded the position 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 beneficial lesson Trevor gave me there.

And there are different classes, too, like understanding time. How a lot time do you’ve 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, when you’re with my group and we’re not stay, you don’t hear me.

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

SB: How did the Friday Blissful Hour come about?

Kaufman: It’s humorous. So in Phoenix, I knew they needed to do one thing on the sixteenth gap at TPC Scottsdale, and I discovered this out as a result of they have been attempting to get, I feel, Travis Kelce, they have been attempting to get possibly Jimmy Fallon. I suppose that they had Kevin Kisner locked as much as do it, in order that they went by the listing of attempting to get any individual 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 thought was to be there on Saturday afternoon with all the massive teams coming by.

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 that night, so we didn’t have all the 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 mentioned, ‘You recognize what, we’re going to have a great time with this—it might 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 the whole lot got here out that pops into our brains, or we most likely wouldn’t be working anymore. However 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 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’ll be able to 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 rather a lot 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 just a little 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 need it to be. In fact, we’ll throw in some enjoyable manufacturing parts they’ll need to react to. They don’t know what’s coming. And if we now have 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 Blissful 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, Blissful Hour will be very traumatic getting visitors, 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 might have by no means dreamed at the start 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 any favourite announcers or producers that you simply admire?

Kaufman: You recognize, that’s an incredible query. That’s most likely a query that not many individuals ask as a result of I feel you hear individuals speak on the TV, and also you most likely don’t take into consideration us leaning on individuals. 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 may 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 now have 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 recognize, getting with NBC, I’ve had some very huge teams in some very huge moments, and it’s completely different while you get to 16, 17, and 18, at huge, huge occasions about the way you set the stage, how the site 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 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 have got 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 might 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. Actually, it was a seamless transition into the Blissful 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 type 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 visitors, and actually, it’s onerous to choose only one. However my favourite one would most likely be Viktor Holand, who was enjoyable as a result of he had such an incredible 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 type of golf-nerded it out.

We talked about what an incredible yr he had.

Viktor Holland was most likely one of the fascinating episodes we now have had. We have now 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 trying ahead to that subsequent dialog.

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

Kaufman: Yeah, that’s not stunning. I feel lots of people take pleasure in boys’ golf journeys, and when 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 feel it’s probably the most underrated course in Eire. I beloved 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 exams, and simply the structure. I simply felt prefer it was unimaginable.

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

We did the whole lot, too. We went scenic, then very dunesy, then straight hyperlinks type with Portmarnock, however while 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 individuals 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 the earth?

Kaufman: That’s an incredible 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. Figuring out 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 in addition my childhood of watching this place. It’s a golf course that I take pleasure in taking part in, too.

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

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

Kaufman: Actually, I wasn’t even calculating it in any respect as a result of I nonetheless had Jordan Spieth successful. 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 feel 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 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 may 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 Pictures

I really performed properly 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 velocity.

It’s simply onerous 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 happy with the way in which I performed that week, and it was an incredible reminiscence. When you’re going to do it as soon as, you may as properly play within the remaining 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 simply imagine amateurs ought to work on probably the most?

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

I actually imagine simplicity on this recreation is vital. I may simply say, ‘All the time take extra membership.’ I feel that’s vital, all the time to take extra membership, however I might begin with growing a brief recreation as a result of if in case you have a great 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 just a little bit extra aggressive on this recreation. Hitting the lengthy ball is nice, and chasing velocity is enjoyable, however beginning on the gap and dealing your self again is extra vital for enhancing your recreation.

Now, I wouldn’t say that for everyone, however I might most likely put that as a normal phrase of recommendation: begin the entire thing, find out how to not three-putt, and learn to hit out of bunkers so that you’re not throwing pictures 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 seemingly as a result of their quick recreation 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 modern, younger, and completely different kind of golf firm that’s entered the area with such an incredible natural viewers. And these days, 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 unimaginable 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 right now.

They’ve actually checked off a variety of packing containers and developed such an incredible viewers, and I simply occurred to be considered one of 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 are completely different than different individuals, and fortuitously, 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 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 publish. 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 stage.

However the putter, although—it’s known 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 needed 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 right now, 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. You’ll want to try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.