Smylie

Kaufman

The 30-year-old Kaufman got the start during some field reshuffling after Jonathan Byrd withdrew from Puerto Rico to play in the concurrent Arnold Palmer Invitational. Also getting into the field now is Ted Purdy, who’s in on his number. Kaufman, an LSU product who lives in Birmingham, Ala., made just three PGA Tour starts last season and missed the cut in all three – including the 2021 Puerto Rico Open. He was also an MC at the 2021 Palmetto and Barbasol Championships. Kaufman’s last made start came at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic (he’s missed 10 since). The last few seasons have been a stark contrast to how Kaufman’s professional season began: On the Korn Ferry Tour in 2015, he had two T-4 finishes, a solo second and win to earn PGA Tour card the following season. He earned his first PGA Tour win in just his second start of the 2015-16 season, at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and later that spring he also found himself in the final pairing on Sunday at the Masters. Kaufman notched two other top 10s and six other top 25s that season, but he’s made just 16 cuts in 44 starts over five seasons since. He’s missed the cut in two previous starts in Puerto Rico.

It’s been more than five years since Kaufman broke through for his lone PGA Tour victory in Las Vegas, and that triumph still grants him a shred of status on the big circuit. But he hasn’t played since the pandemic halted global competition, last teeing it up at the Puerto Rico Open in February where he beat only one player across 36 holes. A T-27 finish a year ago at the Australian Open seemed like a glimmer of hope, but Kaufman withdrew the following week in Indonesia and has made just four starts since, missing the cut in all four including three this year on the PGA Tour. Now 29 years old and four years removed from his spot alongside Jordan Spieth in the final pairing of the 2016 Masters, he remains in search of steady eligibility on either the PGA or Korn Ferry Tour.

Hampered by a wrist injury, the LSU product has suffered a terrible run over the last two years but flashed some form in the recent Australian Open when finishing 66-71-70 over the final 54 holes to take tied 27th, his best result since October 2017. However, despite making seven birdies in the first two rounds at RACV Royal Pines Resort this week, he also swallowed eight bogeys and a double to make it 32 missed cuts in his last 37 worldwide starts. Others who didn’t make it through on 1-over 145 or better include: 146 John Senden, Nicolai Hojgaard ... 147 Marcus Fraser, Gary Stal, Nathan Green, Peter Lonard ... 148 Sam Brazel ... 149 Peter O’Malley ... 150 Nick O’Hern, David Howell ... 153 Steven Bowditch ... 159 Robert Allenby.

The LSU product has battled with injuries over the last two years and currently sits at 1-for-8 this season across the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours. That lone cut made came at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last month but he missed the next two cuts so was unable to build on that momentum. He should remain off the fantasy radar until he’s able to string together a few consecutive cuts made or get himself into contention again.

Kaufman provided an update on the situation through social media, “Bummed to have to pull out of @WellsFargoGolf this afternoon with the stomach bug.” It’s good to see this isn’t injury related. Kaufman struggled through wrist tendinitis in 2018 which has led to missed cuts in 22 of his last 24 worldwide starts. He returned to the PGA TOUR with a missed cut at the Valero Texas Open last month. The LSU product has four starts remaining on a Major Medical Extension and he needs 303.758 FedExCup Points to fulfill the terms.

Kaufman roared onto the scene during his 2015-16 rookie campaign. He won the Shriners which was his second start of the season. Fast forward a few months and he was in the final group at the Masters. He’s battled with wrist problem since then and it reached an all-time low in 2018. Kaufman went just 3-for-21 and ended the season with 15 straight missed cuts. Updating his progress via social media he posted this on November 17th, “Happy to be back out on the golf course today! Still fighting wrist tendinitis in my right wrist, but have made some great progress in my left elbow getting that close to full strength.” As a past champ he’ll be able to squeeze his way into roughly 10 events each year but the young LSU product surely has his eyes on a much bigger prize.

The 24-year-old is one (of four) rookies to advance to the second leg of the Playoffs, entering the week 34th in the FedExCup standings despite missing his last four cuts. He opened with a five-birdie two-bogey 68, posting a -3.617 SG: Tee-to-Green but a ridiculous 5.287 SG: Putting. The LSU alum raced out on Day 2 to a 7-under start thru seven holes, but went backwards from there, playing his final 11 holes in 2-over, squaring three bogeys against a final birdie at the 16th that completed his scoring. He mustered seven (of 14) fairways and 10 greens in regulation, recording a stellar 1.400 putts per GIR. Kaufman converted five conventional birdies and a 30'4" eagle at the par-5 second, adding a pitch-in birdie-2 at the third.

The 24-year-old recorded week bests in fairways and greens in regulation with nine (of 14) in the short grass and pelting 16 GIR. He gained 4.380 strokes tee-to-green, including 3.194 approaching-the-green, but lost -1.329 with the flat stick. The Alabama native and resident squared bogeys at 2 and 15, the former a 3-putt from 10'7", but outpaced them with five birdie-3s, four from inside of six feet with a long of 15'11" at the 17th. He did miss two scoring chances from inside of eight feet.

Kaufman arrived with just one (of six) rounds under-par since the Masters where he posted a final-round 81 while going off in the final group. He’s been playing through a wrist injury over that period, so it’s nice to see him look like early-season Kaufman and piece together back-to-back red numbers. Today’s navigation included six putts made from outside six feet. The longest, by far, was a 24'5" birdie bomb at the par-4 10th hole. Gamers should play close attention over the weekend, but it may be time to reinvest in the up-and-coming LSU star.

The PGA TOUR rookie will be making his fifth career start in a major, with just one payday currently on that major-championship resume (T29 at this year’s Masters). It was that finish that started a downfall in Kaufman’s form, as he arrives with missed cuts in five of his last eight starts. His current form makes him a risky proposition this week, but nine top 25s in 23 starts on the season makes him a nice boom-or-bust pick for deeper fantasy formats.