NEED TO KNOW
Golfer Austin Smotherman was surprised by his grandfather during a live TV interview on Golf Today
His grandfather first called the athlete out for not answering his call the night before, teasing him with “you rat!”
Smotherman’s grandfather then shared the news that the golfer had been invited back to the PGA Tour
Lesson learned — always answer grandpa’s phone call!
Professional golfer Austin Smotherman got a huge surprise from his grandfather on Golf Today when he was in the middle of a live interview on July 9.
A Golf Channel host announced that they had “a very special person in your life that we’d like to help join the conversation with some special news,” before Smotherman was surprised by his grandfather calling in.
“Hey, how you doing, mister?” the proud grandpa, who was not named during the segment, asked his shocked grandson.
“What are you doing?” Smotherman, 31, asked, laughing.
“Well, I don’t know,” his grandfather said. “They drug me into this.”
Smotherman then admitted that he had made a big mistake the previous night.
“You called me last night. I missed your call,” he admitted. “I’m sorry about that.”
Of course, grandpa wouldn’t let him off the hook easily, teasing the athlete, “Yes, I wondered why you didn’t call, you rat!”
Grandpa then had to be reminded of the big news he was supposed to share, asking, “What am I going to tell him?,” before remembering, “Oh! You’re going to have to go back to the tour.”
Upon learning that he was returning to the PGA Tour, Smotherman excitedly replied, “Is that right?”
“You’re gonna get another card again. And we can use a little card,” Smotherman’s grandfather said, referring to the PGA Tour cards that golfers receive when they are invited to play at PGA Tour events.
Andrew Wevers/Getty
Austin Smotherman plays a round in Berthoud, Col. on July 10.
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And grandpa was excited not just for his grandson, but for himself, when he told Smotherman that he intended to see him in action.
“Yeah, that means all too that we can all go out to the western states and Napa,” he said, with Smotherman suggesting, “You better get them walking shoes ready, Bosh.”
“Right, better polish up them tennis shoes,” his grandfather adorably replied.
Smotherman also noted to viewers that his grandfather was a pro when it came to using the PGA Tour app to keep up to date with the latest stats.
“Anybody that needs to know how to run the PGA Tour app or online version needs to learn through my grandpa,” he quipped. “I think he’ll give you a quick deep dive in that.”
Smotherman is currently competing in the Korn Ferry Tour in Colorado, which wraps up on July 13. He previously won the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021.
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