Masters rookie Smylie Kaufman in second as family cheers him on

Smylie Kaufman drives a 2008 Nissan Murano and goes bowling with friends. He plays his Xbox and sleeps in his twin bed.

Kaufman will be paired with defending champion Jordan Spieth in the last group for Sunday's final round at the 2016 Masters Tournament. He shot Saturday’s low round of 69 to finish at 2-under and is one shot behind Spieth.

When the 24-year-old isn’t playing in tournaments, he’s in Birmingham, Ala.

“He still lives at home in his little twin bed. Pretty crazy,” said his father, Jeff. “For a little while longer.”

A 2014 graduate of Louisiana State University, Kaufman comes from a sporting family.

Carter Smylie Kaufman got his middle name to honor his grandmother’s cousin, Smylie Gebhart, who played football at Georgia Tech and won All-America honors in 1971. A freak accident involving his spinal cord left Gebhart paralyzed until his death in 2001.

“Smylie was a wonderful guy, the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry,” Jeff said.

Jeff and Pam, Kaufman’s parents, followed their son Saturday, and they weren’t alone. Kaufman’s grandfather Alan, who coached the University of Alabama-Birmingham golf team for 15 years and retired in 2013, is also in Augusta. (Graeme McDowell played for him and missed the cut this week.)

“I’m just mighty proud of him,” Alan Kaufman said of his grandson. “It’s unbelievable. It’s amazing. Just Smylie being on the PGA Tour is amazing.”

Kaufman’s 69 – the first round in the 60s since Thursday – vaulted him into solo second. He is in today’s final pairing at 2:45 p.m. alongside Jordan Spieth.

It was quite a different experience from Kaufman’s first Masters memory as a patron.

“I brought one of those disposable Kodak cameras that zoom in like – they don’t zoom,” Kaufman said. “All my photos are terrible and not good at all. That’s my earliest memory of Augusta. I just remember it being so green and so cool, and I always wanted to come here and play.

“My dream was just to play here, and now that I’ve won Vegas and got in, I was like, ‘OK, it’s the real thing. Let’s see what happens.’”

His mother is also enjoying the moment.

“Every kid’s little dream, they’re outside putting it when it’s getting dark outside and they try to make that last putt to win the Masters,” she said. “Today really showed he belongs here.”

Jeff and Pam Kaufman are also former LSU golfers and college coaches.

“It’s a thrill, watching my son – it’s unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” his father said. “It’s so surreal. He’s chasing his dreams.”

If Kaufman wins, he would be the first Masters rookie to do so since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

As Kaufman’s family, girlfriend and high school friends followed his round, watched him get interviewed on national television and reflected on his round, they smiled, they hugged and some even shook their heads, as though in disbelief.

Kaufman’s younger brother, Luckie, is a senior at LSU. Their mother said it’s likely the brothers will essentially swap places soon, in that Smylie will move out and Luckie will move back home after he graduates.

But that’s for later. This week is about being there for Smylie. He’s eaten meals with his loved ones this week, and he estimates 20 to 30 people have been here every day.

“I’ve got my friends that are here that are taking advantage of the great prices Augusta offers on the beer,” Kaufman said. “It’s cool seeing them out there and kind of sharing this experience with them.

“It’s always great to have my parents and grandparents here. I’ve got my brother, came in town from Baton Rouge. A bunch of people are here that mean a lot to me and they are supporting me right now, so it’s really good to have them here.”

They’re all here – a bunch of them – together, and they won’t forget this.

“We’re just experiencing the moment,” Pam Kaufman said. “We’ll smell the azaleas and take it all in.”