Golf Channel Adds Smylie Kaufman and Brad Faxon to 2023 Team – Sports Illustrated

Smylie Kaufman and Brad Faxon will be joining NBC Sports and Golf Channel as on-air talent in 2023, according to a Golfweek report. 
Last month it was announced that two of golf's most beloved voices—Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch—were let go from their posts as NBC Sports and Golf Channel broadcasters.
Kaufman and Faxon appear to be a part of the network's attempt to "refresh" its coverage going forward. 
Kaufman is perhaps best known for his close relationship with PGA Tour players Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and Jordan Spieth. He played college golf at LSU and turned professional upon graduation. A win at the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open sent Kaufman to the 2016 Masters, where he played in the final pairing with Spieth. Since that run, Kaufman has struggled to reignite his game, but has broken into the television industry. The 31-year-old will be an on-course analyst for Golf Channel. 
Faxon is an eight-time PGA Tour winner and two-time Champions Tour winner. He began golf broadcasting during a brief stint with NBC Sports in 2010, and became the lead golf analyst for Fox Sports in 2015. Fox aired USGA events, including the U.S. Open, from 2015-20. Although Faxon is entrenched in golf media, he remains involved in the professional game as Rory McIlroy's putting coach. The 61-year-old will be posted in one of Golf Channel's tower roles, and will additionally join programming such as the "Live From" show. 
Golfweek also reported that former PGA Tour player Curt Byrum will replace David Feherty in the "super tower." Feherty left NBC in late July to join the broadcast team of Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
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Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. She graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team.
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