Meet Smylie Kaufman, the unlikely name on the Masters leaderboard
Spieth, Matsuyama, Langer, Day, Johnson, Willett, and McIlroy.
Some of the most powerful names in golf dot the leaderboard heading into Sunday's final round at the Masters.
And then there's Smylie Kaufman, who drives a 2008 Nissan Murano and lives with his parents.
He also sits in second place, trailing only the defending champion Spieth ahead of Sunday's finale. The 24-year-old's name is certainly the least familiar on the giant board at Augusta National, but the viewing public will get its fill of Kaufman during Sunday's telecast.
So who exactly is the boyish-looking gentleman in the final pairing?
Kaufman is an Alabama native whose first name is actually Carter. The name Smylie is his middle name, and is a tribute to his grandmother's cousin, Smylie Gebhart, an All-American defensive end at Georgia Tech in 1971.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder comes from a golfing family, as his grandfather served as the head coach of the UAB men's team for years. One of his pupils while coaching the Blazers was 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell.
Kaufman attended LSU, gaining a degree in general business administration, but never won a college tournament. He then turned professional on the Web.com Tour in 2013, winning the United Leasing Championship on his way to finishing sixth on the money list, securing his PGA Tour card.
He wasted no time in making his mark with the big boys, winning the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in just his second start. With the victory came an invite to Augusta National for the Masters. After opening with rounds of 72 and 73, Kaufman went south while the rest of the field went north in the third round. His 3-under par 69 was the lowest round on a blustery day with trying conditions.
The sparkling round earned him a place in the final pairing with the defending champion. Kaufman is actually two years Spieth's senior, despite the Texan's impressive resume. The two actually played together as juniors at a tournament in Dallas.
With a win Sunday, Kaufman would become just the fourth player to win the Masters in their first chance, and, most importantly, capture $1.8 million - certainly enough to help him move out of his parents' house.