Austin Smotherman Facts: 15 Things To Know About The PGA Tour Pro

Austin Smotherman played alongside Bryson DeChambeau at SMU before earning three wins on the Korn Ferry Tour. The California native now looks to have more success on his return to the PGA Tour, so get to know him better with these facts...

Austin Smotherman facts:

1. Smotherman was born on 19th May 1994 in Loomis, California.

2. His dog, Cypress, is named after Cypress Point Club and his cat, Pebbles, is named after Pebble Beach.

3. Smotherman is mostly self-taught, estimating he had received fewer than ten lessons by his junior year of high school.

4. His first clubs were a plastic set of Snoopy irons. His grandfather then handcrafted him more suitable clubs by duct taping a Sam Snead 7-iron and cutting in half a persimmon 5-wood.

5. He played at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California when he was younger.

6. He played four years for Southern Methodist University. He achieved All-American Athletic Conference selection in both 2014 and 2016, as well as being a 2013 All-Conference USA Second Team honoree.

7. Smotherman gained increased attention after beating Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke, with an 18th hole birdie, at the 2011 California State Junior Amateur.

8. Smotherman and Bryson DeChambeau also reached the round of 16 in the US Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2015.

9. After turning pro in 2016, Smotherman clinched victory at the 2018 Mexican Open while competing on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica. He also finished fourth on the tour's Order of Merit, which granted him partial eligibility for the 2019 Web.com Tour.

10. Smotherman has three professional wins on the PGA Tour-owned Korn Ferry Tour. First in 2021 at the Simmons Bank Open before two wins in June 2025 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am and the Memorial Health Championship.

11. He carded his lowest round to date, 62, at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

12. He was the first player to secure his 2026 PGA Tour Card and achieve ‘#TOURBound’ status, as he was among 2025’s Top 20 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

13. 2026 is the second time Smotherman has played on the PGA Tour. He played three seasons from 2021 to 2024 before losing his card.

14. He finished T8 at the 2026 American Express, earning himself $250,700.

15. He is an active ambassador for First Tee and was a Greater Sacramento participant for over ten years, winning the Core Value Award in 2011.