British Open 2025: Bad case of hot mic-itis comes for Smylie Kaufman with on-air F-bomb at Royal Portrush
The profanity was flying thick and fast at Royal Portrush on Friday. With the cutline looming and the weather suffering a severe identity crisis, players and broadcasters alike found themselves scrambling for sanity. The worst of it came from Shane Lowry, who was heard shouting “f—k this place!” about the site of his 2019 British Open triumph. Moments later, Lowry found himself embroiled in a rules as fiasco as his ball appeared to move during a practice swing.
Jon Rahm, who had a hot-mic moment of his own on Thursday, joined in on the fun, kicking his club down the fairway like a sullen child during a tough inward nine. NBC’s Smylie Kaufman, following Rahm’s group, found himself caught up in the damp, chaotic vibes, letting loose this plainly audible F-bomb when his headset malfunctioned during a Ramn birdie putt on the par-4 14th. Cover the kiddos’ ears as you listen:
Let it be said that this happens to the best of us, and Kaufman has been a great addition to the NBC broadcast team in recent years. Still, the high-profile gaffe was a tough moment for the young reporter and eventually drew an on-air apology from big dog Mike Tirico.
“Earlier we had some technical issues with our microphones," Tirico said. "When you come over here, our on-course reporter, sometimes the headsets don’t work the same way they do back home. Because of that, it led to some language getting through on the air that shouldn’t have gotten through. So we just want to take the time to apologize for that comment getting through back home.”
It’s all water under the bridge, or rather out to sea, now, but with a major on the line and more wet weather forecasted for the weekend, tensions are going nowhere but up from here. Needless to say, if curse words make you squeamish, you may want to keep your finger on the mute button until the claret jug is hoisted on Sunday.
