Show Notes
Smylie and Charlie dive deep into LIV Golf's uncertain future, breaking down the reported $250 million investment from BC Partners, the shift to a player-equity model, and what a 10-event "LIV 2.0" schedule would actually look like. They also unpack the confirmed cancellation of the Team Championship in Michigan, leaving Indianapolis as the tour's lone remaining event of 2026. Plus: Bryson DeChambeau's headline-grabbing New York Post quotes, why he might be the one player who keeps LIV alive no matter what, the brutal math facing Jon Rahm if he wants back on the PGA Tour, LIV's business missteps (from its team-branding strategy to its mounting legal bills), and a fun hypothetical — could a Bryson-led YouTube golf tour actually work? Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! Chapters 0:00 Intro & why we're breaking down LIV's future 1:52 LIV 2.0 restructuring — bankruptcy, equity, and the "$250M mini tour" 5:12 Who's funding this? BC Partners and the players-investors standoff 8:30 Which players get a fast track back — Rahm and Niemann 9:24 Bryson's New York Post quotes, dissected 10:26 Bryson's YouTube empire and why he's all-in on LIV 14:56 The failed $500M ask from PIF 16:14 Bryson's major exemptions status through 2029 17:41 Bryson is the engine keeping LIV alive 19:50 The Q-School pathway back to the PGA Tour 22:24 LIV 2.0's reality check: purses shrink from $40M to $15M 24:37 Who pays the penalty? Koepka's buyback and Rahm's price tag 27:37 Jon Rahm's business decision 29:09 LIV's mistakes: legal fees and a fumbled team-branding strategy 33:25 The road not taken — a joint venture instead of a rival tour 36:34 Could LIV become a YouTube-native golf brand? 38:21 Selling YouTube golf to sponsors — the measurement problem 40:36 Hypothetical: a Bryson-led touring roadshow 42:28 LIV's other lawsuits: Premier Golf League and Mobii Systems 47:17 Prediction: Rahm's decision and a September deadline #golf #LIV #pgatour #jonrahm #brysondechambeau #smylieshow #smyliekaufman
More from The Smylie Show
Smylie Kaufman is joined by Auburn men's golf coach Nick Clinard to discuss winning two national championships in three years ... and somehow, neither of those was the best team he's coached! Clinard tells the story of a phone call from Jackson Koivun about the Presidents Cup, and answers a question from senior Tiger - and recent guest on the show - Josiah Gilbert. Plus: the handwritten letters that nearly got Smylie to UCF, building Auburn's culture, and why roster limits are squeezing out late bloomers. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! Chapters 0:00 Welcome Coach Clinard 2:03 Recruiting Smylie at UCF 5:44 Building Auburn golf 7:19 Culture & Blayne Barber 9:01 Roster limits & House settlement 14:06 Koivun's work ethic 17:21 Koivun's Presidents Cup leap 21:56 Josiah's question: best team 24:03 Chris Williams & Buddy Alexander #Auburn #Golf #pgatour #JacksonKoivun #smylieshow #smyliekaufman
Stay tuned for part 2 with Auburn Men's Golf HC Nick Clinard, dropping Wednesday morning! Our college golf tour continues as Smylie Kaufman is joined by Auburn senior Josiah Gilbert! Josiah grew up in an Outback mining town where the only golf course used red dirt for fairways, and didn't take golf seriously until he was 12. Three months after his family moved to Alabama, he was committed to Auburn. Josiah tells Smylie how one casual round with the team changed everything. Plus: junior golf alongside Aldrich Potgieter, living with Brendan Valdes through his cancer fight, and why he switched his flag from Australia to the USA. Josiah also leaves a question for Coach Nick Clinard, who joins the show Wednesday. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! Chapters 0:00 Welcome Josiah Gilbert 1:19 Mount Isa upbringing 7:53 How Auburn found him 12:18 Learning from Auburn's leaders 14:47 Brendan Valdes' cancer battle 17:19 Cracking the lineup 25:30 Auburn's best team 27:48 Choosing Team USA 31:25 Question for Coach Clinard #Auburn #Golf #PGATour #AuburnGolf #smylieshow #smyliekaufman
We are checking in on the world of collegiate golf with a bonus episode this week! Charlie Hulme sits down with UNC sophomore Carson Bertagnole ahead of the Williams Cup at Eagle Point (Oct. 18–20) - a course that both Carson and Charlie love. Carson takes us inside the four-man playoff that punched his ticket to the Puerto Rico Open, what two PGA TOUR starts showed him about the gap between college and tour golf, and the importance of "process" and using certain triggers to reset during a round. Plus: his first college win at the Fighting Irish Classic, the best hole at Eagle Point, NIL in college golf, a course-record 61 at Atlanta Athletic Club, and the perfect Chapel Hill day. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! Chapters 0:00 Williams Cup preview 1:01 Fighting Irish Classic win 4:11 Eagle Point favorite holes 6:40 Playoff for Puerto Rico Open 9:00 Lessons from PGA TOUR starts 15:00 NIL and college golf 17:29 Record 61, Walker Cup snub 19:29 Perfect Chapel Hill day #golf #UNC #WilliamsCup #thesmylieshow #collegegolf
With Jon Rahm's announcement that he will not participate in LIV 2.0 - and a number of other LIV players looking to follow suit in breaking their contracts - Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme discuss the current state of LIV Golf, what to make of the years that Rahm spent on that tour, and which pathways should be available to Rahm should he want to come back to the PGA Tour. Also: Will Bryson DeChambeau participate in LIV 2.0, or do something else entirely? How many LIV 1.0 players will we see on the DP World Tour next year, and how many cards will be available as the PGA Tour changes its competitive structure in 2028? And why is Charlie broadcasting from a golf cart in his garage? Plus: A shoutout to Austin Hitt as he wins the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, and Smylie laments the state of LSU football. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! CHAPTERS: 0:00 Golf cart garage studio 4:22 Jon Rahm leaves LIV 2.0 12:44 LIV exodus to DP World Tour 15:48 DP World Tour cards 17:18 Rahm's road back 26:09 Championship Series exemptions 31:14 LIV 2.0 deadline & Bryson 35:54 LIV postmortem 41:29 Merit & Challenger Series 48:25 Going global like the NFL 1:00:40 Austin Hitt & UNC on tour 1:02:55 Lane Kiffin's punt 1:06:09 Sign-off
This week on the show - we are taking a deep dive into all of the incredible work happening at the Cobbs Creek campus in West Philadelphia! Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme are joined by Jim Wagner of Hanse Golf Course Design, who alongside Gil Hanse and a team of "cavemen," are bringing a historic canvas for golf back to life: the Olde Course, originally established in 1916. Jim walks Smylie and Charlie through the history of the property, its connection to other historic Philadelphia golf clubs, holes and green complexes that are coming to life, and the future of the Cobbs Creek campus - including the potential to host a PGA Tour event. If you'd like to support the Cobbs Creek Foundation - a mission which includes a classroom impact for the youth of West Philly, in addition to making golf accessible to that neighborhood - you can do so here: https://cobbscreek.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate