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Subpar

John Smoltz talks playing Augusta National with Tiger Woods and being named Commissioner of The PRO Tour

Subpar

GOLF.com

Golf, Sports

4.71.4K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this week's episode of GOLF's Subpar, Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 8-time MLB All-Star turned Champions Tour golfer John Smoltz. The Cy Young Award winner reveals what it was like playing Augusta National with Tiger Woods ahead of the Masters, why the World Baseball Classic has become so massive globally and how he became the first commissioner of The PRO Tour.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

All right, everyone, welcome back to Subpar with Colt Nost and Drew Stoltz, Valspar Championship, and the Florida Swing is in the books.

0:17.4

And Matt Fitzpatrick continuing his phenomenal play.

0:20.5

Bertie's the 72nd hole to get his third PGA Tour win of his career.

0:25.2

So, this was just a matter of time coming.

0:26.7

The man's been knocking on the door.

0:28.3

He was the best ball striker on the PGA tour to the West Coast with just an ice-cold putter.

0:33.1

Comes over to the Florida swing.

0:34.8

It just slowly starts making progress.

0:37.0

Gets to the players' championship. slowly starts making progress, gets to the players championship,

0:38.3

had a great chance to win there. Cam Young, Bertie's 17, Par is 18. He ended up making bogey on 18, which ended up losing by a shot. But this guy, up to number six in the world now, and playing some of the best golf of his life. At the right time, too, he's going to be on that short list that Augustus, hard as he hits. he hits it he doesn't get any like i feel like not that much discussion about how hard he hits it i mean it's like

0:56.5

he's over

0:57.0

180 like damn there every time he hits it. And by the way, shout out Florida swing. It's been a shitty time to be a 54-hole leader, but it has been some good, every single week, I feel like it's come down the 70 second hole, and we had some crazy turnarounds, crazy flip-flops.

1:11.4

You know, Akshay at Bay Hill played a great back nine and kind of stole it. I feel like it's come down the 70 second hole and we had some crazy turnarounds, crazy flip-flops.

1:30.1

You know, Akshay at Bay Hill played a great back nine and kind of stole it from Burger. We've had some collapses and things like that, Fitz, bounce it back. It's been an unbelievable Florida swing, but he's playing really good golf. He is, his approach game, like you said, has been a lot better than it's ever been. he's kind of like a, I think he's the best version of himself right now going into major championship time.

1:44.5

And also, he's just a dude that plays, I think, like the harder the course, the lower, the higher it is relative to par, like 11 under, by the way. Andes Brooke, great job with the setup, firm, crusty, bouncy. See, he's at his best at like really difficult golf course.

1:45.7

And look at the places he wins.

1:47.9

Like it's like strategy type places. Like,

1:48.3

sort of,

1:48.3

like, really difficult golf course, I think. And look at the places he wins. Like, it's like strategy-type places, like cerebral golf courses, you know? He's, and that suits itself well for major championships, by the way. He's won at Harburtown, the Country Club for the U.S. Open. And now here it is, Brooke, a place that might not have looked that great on TV, but I know the players love playing it just because it did get firm. It got bouncy. It made these players think hitting fairways was important. And you look at his ball striking numbers this year. I mean, shout out to Mark Blackburn, who's been working with him the last few years. He's like fourth and driving accuracy. He's seventh in approach. I think he's ninth in strokes gain total.

2:17.9

The only weakness has been the putter, but it's gotten better since he's got off the Poena Greens on the West Coast. And look out, man. He's a different player. You look at like his major championship record. He won the U.S. Open now that he picked up the length. But before that, his major championship record wasn't that great. His Rider Cup record was terrible.

2:35.2

He was a guy that, in my opinion, got bullied in the Ryder

2:38.4

Cup because he didn't hit it very far. He was giving up 30, 40 yards to these guys and trying

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