Smylie Kaufman, the former PGA Tour player, has made some bold predictions ahead of the 2026 season.
With the Sentry event in Hawaii cancelled, all eyes turn to the Sony Open, which will get things underway next week.
Every new season brings talk about who might emerge as a surprise star — just like Ben Griffin and J.J. Spaun did last year.
Kaufman has picked out three names he believes could follow in their footsteps with similar breakout campaigns in 2026.
Michael Thorbjornsen
Kaufman’s first pick was Michael Thorbjornsen, who recently made the news for his excellent debut performance in TGL.
Thorbjornsen, 24, had a strong finish to the 2025 PGA Tour season and looks well-placed to make an impact on the big stage this year.
“The first guy is Thor, Michael Thorbjornsen,” Kaufman said. “I was just blown away looking at his whole profile, and you get excited when you see statistics of some young guys. You’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this guy can potentially be a top-end player of the game,’ especially when you’ve got a full year of data.
“What I really liked with Thor is that he was seventh off the tee, but what I really liked is that he had 64 percent driving accuracy. If you’re a long player, which he is… he was sixth in the driving distance category this year, and he had 64 percent accuracy.
“That is a really great recipe to make a lot of money on the PGA Tour, but also to play your way into being a top player. What I liked too was that he was 120th in putting, and you and I both know that Stephen Sweeney is going to get him right. He putted well on TGL the other night if that means anything.”
Rico Hoey
Kaufman’s second pick was Rico Hoey, who ended the 2025 season strongly with four top-10 finishes in his last seven tournaments.
Hoey has struggled on the greens, but he’s switched to a broomstick putter in hopes of turning that around.
Kaufman explained: “Rico Hoey. When we say he struggles with putting… He was 180th in putting. He only gained strokes with the putter in three weeks of the entire season.
“What I thought was super interesting about Rico was, first of all, he was second tee to green and eighth in approach. This is a guy who is just a flusher. He plays with a ton of swag. I love the way in which he carries himself. He’s a good player out of USC.
“But let’s look at the way he ended his fall season. He had four top-seven finishes in the fall. He was outside the top 100 heading into FedExCup Fall, so he was potentially about to lose his PGA Tour card despite being second from tee to green.”
“He played his way into the top 60, so now he’s in that next 10 category and gets into the first two signature events,” Kaufman added. “I think he’s poised to get off to a really good start and have a big year.”
Kurt Kitayama
Kaufman’s third choice is Kurt Kitayama, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2023 and has been steadily building on that success since then.
Kitayama has shown a lot of consistency in his play, and Kaufman believes he could take another step forward this year. He even sees Kitayama as a potential pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup team.
Kaufman said: “Kurt Kitayama. He is a guy we all remember winning at Bay Hill, and we were like, ‘Who is this guy? Where did he come from?’”
“He is another player who shocked me when I looked at his stats. His driving distance was fifth. Kurt Kitayama was fifth in the driving distance stat. 120 or 121 (mph) club head speed is his average, so he is a guy who swings it way faster than people realize.”
“So you throw that in, and you look at his proximity with his irons. He was fifth in his proximity with his irons. He smashes his driver.”
“He’s an elite ball-striker, so if he just improves his putting… He’s already in all of the signature events; he’s 37th in the world. I think Kitayama is a guy who I predict will be on the Presidents Cup team.”
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