The Smylie Show Smylie Kaufman, SportsGrid

Akshay Bhatia joins Smylie Kaufman to detail a thrilling playoff finish at the Valero Texas Open in April, which got him into his first-ever Masters Tournament. Akshay discusses his unique path to turning pro, and how that journey has paid off with two PGA Tour wins already at the age of 22. Smylie and Akshay look at videos from his putting coach Stephen Sweeney and detail his journey with the "broomstick" putter, and also look at some videos from his short-game coach Gabriel Hjertstedt while charting his development around the green.

Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme compare and contrast the two marquee events on the pro golf calendar this past weekend: the PGA Tour's CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and LIV Golf's event in Singapore. Both featured low scores, but LIV's leaderboard was full of recognizable names. SK and CH discuss numerous LIV Golf strategies - with varying effectiveness - and wonder what the PIF's long-term goals are, and how we could see that play out on the stage of American golf. Smylie and Charlie also take look at LIV's career money list since its inception in 2022, and come away mind-boggled at the magnitude of the earnings for several players.

PGA Tour winner and the 12th-ranked player in the world, Sahith Theegala, joins Smylie Kaufman for a wide-ranging conversation that begins with his love for breakfast burritos and the game of chess. After discussing Sahith's various chess strategies, he and Smylie move to a discussion about how that mindset impacts the way he plays golf. Sahith breaks down his course management strategy depending on the nature of the competition, and also analyzes swing changes he's made in the past year. Along the way, Sahith - in the most lighthearted and grateful way possible - lists a series of grievances he has with PGA Tour life.

(Re-teeing after a big hiya miss with our first pod audio upload)

This week's Zurich Classic recap immediately goes off the rails thanks to Rory McIlroy's rousing rendition of "Don't Stop Believin" in celebration of a playoff win with his partner Shane Lowry. Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme grade that karaoke performance, compare the PGA Tour's team event in New Orleans with a thrilling team finish for LIV Golf in Australia, and use the week's action as a jumping-off point to discuss ways in which the two league concepts could be combined to best suit fan interests. Finally, in an act of immersion therapy, Smylie and Charlie check into the "Hiya Hotel" to break down their recent play on the golf course.

It's a TSS Double Feature! First, Smylie Kaufman is joined by Justin Thomas - ahead of their trip to Pine Valley - to discuss his recent caddie change, Scottie Scheffler's dominance, and looking forward to the PGA Championship in his hometown of Louisville at Valhalla. Then, Smylie joins Charlie Hulme from the Philadelphia airport to recap the PV trip - starting with Rickie Fowler's ace at the third hole!

In the wake of yet *another* Scottie Scheffler win - this perhaps the most improbable of all on a short turnaround after his victory at the Masters - Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme try to find terms to describe Scottie’s brilliance on the course that haven’t already been used during his four-wins-in-five-starts run. Smylie and Charlie theorize as to what’s being done to market Scottie off the course, and whether there are creative ways to capture his grounded personality in a way that connects with fans. SK and CH compare Scottie’s run to the only golfer on the planet who is in hotter form than he is - Nelly Korda - after her *fifth* win in five starts at the first major of the LPGA season. All that + Miles Russell’s historic feat, Smylie’s big golf trip, and another addition to the Smylie Show gnome family.