Smylie Kaufman is joined by golf analytics authority Rick Gehman, the creator of RickRunGood.com and host of CBS Sports’ First Cut Podcast, for a deep dive into the world of golf data, modeling, betting edges, and modern player strategy.

Rick breaks down how the PGA TOUR is evolving through analytics, why driving is more valuable than ever, how players misinterpret ShotLink data, and where fans can actually find a meaningful betting advantage.

Smylie and Rick also get into:

- Why baseball analytics paved the way for golf

- How players should interpret their own ShotLink stats

- Why proximity is one of the most misunderstood metrics

- What really wins under pressure

- The biggest Ryder Cup mistakes made by Team USA

- Why the European model works — and how the U.S. can fix it

- Which rising players are primed for breakout seasons

- And the surprising ways modern players use (and misuse) data

This episode is packed with insight for golf fans, bettors, stat nerds, and players alike.

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CHAPTERS:

00:32 Rick’s background: baseball → data → golf

02:08 Building the golf database

03:27 Baseball analytics ⇄ golf analytics

04:38 How data changed modern golf

05:30 ShotLink: what players misunderstand

06:32 How younger players use tech + data

08:12 Why hitting driver is more valuable than ever

10:08 Misleading stats: Proximity explained

12:26 Real strategy: Driver vs. iron off the tee

14:06 Modeling golf courses & comp-course analysis

16:22 What pros ask Rick for (custom reports)

17:31 Predicting performance on new / unfamiliar courses

19:34 Ryder Cup breakdown: U.S. vs Europe strategy

21:03 Where Team USA went wrong

22:49 Pairing mistakes explained (Scheffler/Bryson, etc.)

24:59 Why Europe trusts data more effectively

27:15 If Rick ran Team USA strategy

29:20 Presidents Cup → How USA should use it better

31:36 Shot-shape & trajectory analytics (new radar data)

33:31 “Go-to shots” under pressure

35:02 Darts, proximity, and scoring insights

36:27 NEW stat idea: Strokes Gained Under Pressure

38:41 Bonus Putting metric

40:14 Rising talents who will break out

42:03 Players who maximize limited skillsets

45:06 The importance of speed in the modern game

49:05 Ben Griffin’s leap explained

51:28 The Jordan Spieth question

54:11 Chris Gotterup’s ceiling

56:00 Outro + In memoriam for Scott Hulme

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