F-Bombs: Mike Tirico apologizes for Smylie Kaufman NSFW comment during Open Championship

Watch out for the hot mic! Fans watching the broadcast of The Open Championship were in for a surprise on Friday when a stray f-bomb, courtesy of NBC Sports/Golf Channel on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman, hit the airwaves.

During a Jon Rahm birdie putt on hole 13, Kaufman was speaking when something prompted a stray four-letter word to leave his mouth. What he didn’t know, however, was that he was still on the airwaves and that what he just said was broadcast live over the USA Network. Shortly after the production gaffe, NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico issued an on-air apology.

Uh-oh, Smylie Kaufman. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/9DHc2JJ71c

— Riley Gates (@Riley_Gates) July 18, 2025

“Earlier, we had some technical issues with our microphones,” Tirico said. “When we come over here, our on-course reporters, sometimes the headsets don’t work the same way they do back home. Because of that, led to some language getting through on the air that shouldn’t have gotten through. So, just wanted to take some time to apologize for that comment getting through back home.”

Tirico has been one of the premier sportscasters in the country since the 1990s. He has been with NBC Sports since 2016.

Kaufman has been with NBC Sports since 2023

Kaufman, who played collegiate golf at LSU, turned professional in 2014 and played until 2017. He boasts two professional wins, one on the PGA Tour and one on the Web.com Tour. Kaufman burst onto the PGA scene with a win in the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Five months prior, he won the United Leasing Championship.

The former Tiger joined NBC Sports in January 2023 and has served as an on-course reporter for its golf coverage. He made his on-air debut at the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open and has since worked additional TOUR and amateur events on GOLF Channel during the year.

He also served as an on-course reporter for digital coverage at the 2022 U.S. Open on Peacock and the 2022 PGA Championship on ESPN+. He began “Happy Hour with Smylie” in 2024, his own show where he hosts some of the biggest names in the sport.

Smylie’s slip will likely cost NBCUniversal a small chunk of change (along with a stern talking to), but that will likely not be too big of a problem for the media conglomerate. As of Friday, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler were tied at the top of the Open Championship leaderboard at -9. H.T. Li and Brian Harman trail closely behind at -8, with five other players at -5.