Golf Channel and NBC Sports analyst Smylie Kaufman is about to get a bit more airtime.
The popular broadcaster is prepared to expand his role on Golf Channel, according to a report by Josh Carpenter in Sports Business Journal. Kaufman will join Golf Channel’s Live From telecasts for the remainder of 2026. He will, at least in part, replace the recently departed Johnson Wagner, who joined CBS Sports prior to this PGA Tour season as an on-course analyst after several years with Golf Channel.
Per Carpenter, Kaufman will partake in some on-course recreations, like the ones Wagner became known for, though Golf Channel plans to ensure there’s “some separation” between Kaufman’s new role and Wagner’s old one. That became apparent on Sunday when Kaufman put himself in the same position as then-leader Daniel Berger faced on the 13th hole of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Berger was in a bunker and faced with two options: pitch out sideways or go for the green. Berger opted to pitch out sideways. Later, Kaufman tried to go for the green from the same spot, rinsing one shot in the water and putting another on the green.
“Smylie doesn’t necessarily want to recreate every shot or replay every shot,” Golf Channel coordinating producer Matt Hegarty told SBJ. “We’ll say here’s what the pros did, but here are some other options that they could have gone with. They could have played this differently if it was warranted. We’re into that.”
Kaufman joined Golf Channel, then under the NBC Sports umbrella, in 2023 and has quickly become a rising star on television. The 34-year-old former PGA Tour pro helped launch Golf Channel’s “Happy Hour” segment during Friday afternoon/evening telecasts, where Kaufman sits down with players who finished their rounds earlier in the day, and they help call the on-course action in a much more laid-back style than your typical golf broadcast. Those segments have been well-received by viewers.
Smylie Kaufman has also proven to be a capable on-course analyst in the more traditional sense. Expanding his role into Live From is an acknowledgment of his versatility as a golf broadcaster.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.