Matti Schmid on a Breakout Year, Cobra Gear, and Healing Up – Podcast #438

Posted November 1, 2026 by Tom Brassell

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:02 — 27.5MB)

One of the rising talents on the PGA Tour sat down with Tom Brassell on the Worldwide Golf Insider Podcast, brought to listeners by Cobra Golf. German-born Matti Schmid reflected on a career-best season that included a tied-fourth finish at the PGA Championship, a solo second at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and his appearance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs—before an untimely injury cut the year short.

From a Green Bag to the PGA Tour

Schmid’s earliest golf memory dates to roughly age two, watching his father play. “I remember I was looking at the bag and I thought, man, that’s so cool, like all these clubs,” he recalled. “And it was just a random green bag, I think, but it looked amazing to me.” Junior clubs followed at three or four years old.

As a kid he absorbed the game by watching European Tour stars such as Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy, along with Tiger Woods during the late 2000s. College golf was not an automatic path for a European prospect. Schmid decided relatively late to try the University of Louisville. The schedule of strong tournaments, quality courses, and facilities convinced him. He stayed four years, describing the coaches, teammates, and overall experience as excellent.

A Season of Momentum—and a Sudden Stop

Five years into his professional career, Schmid’s game has clearly trended upward. After a typically slow start, he produced multiple top-10s. The highlight was the PGA Championship, where his game held up under one of the year’s sternest tests. He held the lead for a stretch on the final day amid a charged atmosphere and left with a T4—while noting he might have squeezed one or two more strokes out of the back nine.

A mid-season dip followed, but form returned. At the Wyndham Championship he sat around the cut line for the playoffs (ultimately entering as No. 69 after finishing the prior year at No. 70). Solid play from others in his range helped him advance. St. Jude proved a tough test, and Schmid already has his sights set on another crack at the playoffs next season.

Then came the setback. “I broke my elbow now recently,” he said of a fall from a bike. “It’s not looking too bad. But yeah, that puts an early end to my season, unfortunately.” Further evaluation was scheduled shortly after the interview. Schmid does not expect to tee it up again in 2026. He plans to begin hitting balls later in the year and may play a couple of mini-tour events before the 2027 American Express to regain competitive reps after the longest break of his career.

What He’s Working On

Consistency sits at the top of the off-season priority list. Schmid calls himself a good but streaky putter and wants to sharpen that area. Driver is already a strength, yet with his length he believes it can become even more of one. A switch to a shorter driver shaft a few months earlier has already improved his stats: a small loss in ball speed (roughly 2–3 mph) traded for better strike consistency and tighter dispersion.

“Distance is great, but you still have to keep it in some corridor so you don’t lose anything with your misses,” he explained. “You can’t afford on a tour level to have too many penalty strokes or chip outs.” Cleaner driving will let him attack more often with irons from the fairway—another of his strengths—and, he hopes, produce more leaderboard appearances.

Inside the Bag and the Cobra Relationship

Schmid speaks highly of his Cobra partnership. The players (including Gary Woodland, whom he half-called “the best guy on tour” and the fitting team (Ben, James, Shiv and others) form a supportive group he also enjoys socially. He praised the product, especially the current year’s lineup.

His current setup features a Cobra OPTM driver with the shorter shaft he has settled on after testing versions. Irons are the 3D-printed models from 4-iron through pitching wedge. Wedges have been in flux as he experiments. He prefers sticking with a familiar 5-wood and 4-iron gapping rather than frequent equipment swaps, even when a 3-iron might seem logical at links-style venues. Comfort and known distances matter more to him than constant tinkering.

Looking Ahead

Schmid closed with encouragement for listeners who enjoy both the competitive and equipment sides of the game. “We all get super excited when the new stuff comes out,” he said. He will be back in 2027—hopefully sharper, healthier, and ready to build on the progress of a breakthrough year.

Special thanks to Matti Schmid for the conversation and to Cobra Golf for making the interview possible. Catch the full episode and more from the Worldwide Golf Insider Podcast at worldwidegolf.com. Worldwide Golf remains home to the legendary 90-day, 100% satisfaction guarantee across more than 100 retail locations and online 24/7.