Smylie Kaufman is Seeking a Medical Exemption to Remain on the PGA TOUR

Many people know Smylie Kaufman as the guy that is the life of the party on the Spring Break trips with Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas. On the course, however, it hasn’t been nearly as fun for Smylie.

Once a promising up-and-comer on the PGA TOUR, Kaufman has found himself struggling to compete on the pro circuit. He has missed 14 consecutive cuts dating back to January and has struggled to break 80 on eight of his rounds this year. His struggles have been so bad that he is set to lose his PGA TOUR exemption later this month.

Smylie is hoping to have that exemption continued, however, with his latest elbow injury requiring him to ask for a medical exemption to remain on the Tour. The injury requires Kaufman to take a break from golf for the next two to five months. If the medical exemption is granted, Kaufman will have five events to gain enough points to keep him on the PGA TOUR.

Working every day to get back to having full range of motion in my elbow. I am looking forward to coming back stronger than ever. Thanks everyone for your support! https://t.co/XUV7rI4QIy

— Smylie Kaufman (@SmylieKaufman10) August 3, 2018

Currently, Kaufman is sitting 196th in the FedExCup rankings, which wouldn’t even earn him a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals. And while his woes on the golf course have been hard enough, Smylie also talked about how social media has had a major impact on his mindset, specifically Twitter and Instagram.

“Social media doesn’t help,” Kaufman said. “That place sucks. It was so great for me for so long, but it was never anything good the last six months. When I go to Twitter, it’s like reading the newspaper for me. Well, I don’t wanna see Tom or Joe telling me how bad I suck when I read the newspaper.”

Social media being a downer is nothing new but maybe Kaufman should consider taking a hiatus while he recovers from his injury. Hopefully, once he returns he’ll be healthy and able to compete at the high level we all know he is capable of.

Cover Image via Instagram