Kisner, 40, is being given the reigns as lead analyst for NBC Sports golf coverage in 2025, NBC Sports announced Wednesday. Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter first reported the news. After a revolving door of analysts during the 2024 season, Kisner is expected to be in the booth for NBC’s weekend coverage for most of its events during the 2025 season.
Kisner will still play some events on the PGA Tour in addition to his commitment to the TGL, which begins in January.
“I’m humbled and grateful to have the chance to sit in the seat that many legends like Johnny Miller and Paul Azinger have sat in before me on NBC,” Kisner said in a release. “I’m looking forward to offering a different voice and adding a new dynamic to the broadcasts, hopefully reaching more fans and telling things like it is. That’s what I think I do best. I’m also excited to continue to compete on the PGA Tour amongst my peers, which I think will help me to tap into what these guys are really feeling on the course.”
Kisner will commentate next to Dan Hicks at NBC’s biggest events, including the Players Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. He’ll also be the lead analyst for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and Ryder Cup.
“Kevin always shared frank and honest opinions about the game of golf during our various conversations through the years,” NBC Sports lead golf producer Tommy Roy said in a release. “Those kinds of opinions and his engaging personality make Kiz a great fit for our broadcast team. He knows these players, he knows this game, and the audience will get to hear more of those opinions and that personality this season.”
In addition to Kisner, Brandel Chamblee, Luke Donald and others were among the numerous on-air talent who had their time in the lead analyst chair during NBC’s 2024 golf coverage.
Come 2025, it ain’t no hobby for Kisner. It’s a lifestyle.
After a lengthy wind delay caused a late start on Friday for the second round, the cut has been made Saturday afternoon at the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
Tom Kim, the 2022 and 2023 winner of this event, was 1-under total when he finished his second round and he’ll head home early thanks to the 36-hole cut coming in at 3-under 139. Kim, who hasn’t played a Tour event since the FedEx St. Jude Championship during the playoffs, is not in the field for next week’s Zozo Championship in Japan.
While the third round will begin Saturday afternoon in Sin City, here’s a quick look at eight notable names who missed the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open.
Notable names to miss cut at Shriners Children’s Open
Webb Simpson of the United States plays a shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Shriners Children’s Open 2024 at TPC Summerlin on October 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
During the Solheim Cup, Alison Lee and Megan Khang’s caddies Jack Fulghum and Taylor “Shota” Takada made a bet that if one of their players holed out, they would take their shirts off. Two holes later, it happened.
Well, Max Homa was watching from home, and he posted on social media about the interaction. That’s when Kevin Kisner chimed in, saying if Homa did it at the 2024 Presidents Cup, he would do the same.
Well, Homa holed out. He did so on the first hole Sunday of his singles match against Mackenzie Hughes. And while it didn’t happen immediately, Kisner eventually did follow through on his end of the bet once the celebration began.
Kisner and Villegas added a new twist on the job of assistant captain.
MONTREAL — It’s not often that assistant captains in team competitions do much more than drive a cart, fetch sandwiches and hold their trusty walkie-talkies. But on Thursday at the 2024 Presidents Cup, U.S. Assistant Captain Kevin Kisner and International Team Assistant Captain Camilo Villegas added a new twist on the job, engaging in a war of words.
“They took gamesmanship too far and over the line on sportsmanship and lose some integrity,” Kisner told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis. “I thought it was pretty bush league and I told Camilo that if that’s the way they want to do it, then game on. If you can piss off my No. 1 player in the world, then I’m all for it.”
Kisner’s comments relate back to the eighth hole, where Tom Kim sank a birdie putt and tried to stir up the crowd with fist pumps and shouting, “Come on!” What riled up Kisner was seeing Kim and partner Sungjae Im exit the green and head to the ninth tee to talk to Villegas before Scheffler had attempted his putt to tie the hole. It’s an unwritten rule among golfers to wait, or simply the courteous thing to do, and Kisner didn’t like it one bit.
Golf Channel’s John Wood was walking with the group and he expressed surprise too: “Kim and Im have left. They have gone to the ninth tee box and have absolutely left. They are 60 yards away and are not watching. Things are definitely getting a little chippy right now.”
Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley later chimed in: “That’s bordering on bad behavior. That’s disrespectful in my opinion.
“I’m a great believer in that you don’t want to give the opponent energy, you don’t want to put a chip on their shoulder and give them the moral high ground. Their behavior was not the moral high ground. They didn’t pay the respect of watching their opponent’s putt. That’s not a good psychological position for the Internationals.”
But when Scheffler was asked if it bothered him, he claimed that he didn’t see it. His partner, Russell Henley, however did. “It bothered me a little bit.”
But not as much as Kisner, who confronted Villegas. “When Kim and Im walked off the eight green, it looked like Villegas instigated it,” Wood explained. “He said let’s go and they walked over there. After that hole, the American vice captain with this group is Kevin Kisner and it looked like he and Camilo had some words. I couldn’t hear what was said but it didn’t look that friendly to be honest with you.”
Captain’s Assistant Camilo Villegas of Colombia and the International Team speaks to the media following a practice round prior to the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Later, Kisner texted to Golf Channel’s Brad Faxon exactly what he had said: “If you’re going to do that, then it’s game on.”
The kerfuffle continued at the 16th hole after the U.S. side claimed a 3-and-2 win. According to Lewis, Villegas said he told Kisner, “Why are you being so sensitive?”
“Because I play by the rules,” Kisner responded, according to Villegas.
Villegas shot back: “Nothing against the rules of leaving the green.”
While that it may be the case, it is behavior that is usually frowned upon. When Kim was asked at a post-match press conference why they left the green, he said, “We just were focusing on our game. I made a putt, and whether he made it or not wasn’t going to make a difference. There was no reason to stay there and look at him putt. It doesn’t help us at all. It wasn’t trying to be cheap or do anything like that. We were focused on our own game.”
One thing is clear and it was summed up perfectly by Xander Schauffele, who was referring to Scheffler, the world No. 1, but may as well have been talking about Kisner: “From my perspective, it looked like he poked the bear.”
That isn’t the only reason Furyk chose Kisner to be one of his lieutenants. “I think the fact that he’s playing out here, doing television work out there, he’s very aware of their games and personalities, he even knows the other team, right? I know our team pretty well. Having Kis out here, he’s very well aware of everyone’s games,” Furyk said.
When the U.S. captain phoned to ask Kisner to take on the role, Kisner said he took “two seconds” to sign on.
“I didn’t even look at the calendar where I was going to be or anything,” Kisner said. “I actually kind of messed up. I was supposed to be in Colorado on an elk hunt and so I had to bail on that, but I’d rather do the vice captaincy. I can hunt any year.”
Kisner did television for NBC during the three FedEx Cup playoff events, which allowed him to spend time with the players who qualified for the team and get a better sense of who they wanted to round out the squad. Kisner also played the Procore Championship last week and took part in Furyk’s team dinner, which included fellow assistant captains Stewart Cink and Brandt Snedeker.
“I’ll do whatever Jim wants me to do and I’m happy to be a part of the team. I love being a part of a team,” he said. “I miss the team atmosphere, team sports growing up. That’s all I did, and I can’t wait to do whatever I can to help.”
But he may be preoccupied beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (along with Brian Harman). That’s when his alma mater, the University of Georgia, kicks off against Alabama in a SEC showdown.
“In ’17 I asked to sit out in the afternoon,” Kisner said, “because Georgia played Tennessee. (Captain Steve) Strick(er) is like seriously? I’m like, ‘Yeah, man, that’s my squad.’ ”
Neither an elk hunt nor a Bulldogs game will keep Kisner from doing all he can to ensure the U.S. retains the Presidents Cup. In Napa last week, he joked, “I might be able to work on my game if Furyk would stop calling me.”
Someone has to make sure Team USA stays loose and there’s no one more capable of that job than Kisner.
This fall slate of tournaments may determine the direction of his career.
NAPA, Calif.– Three years ago last month, Kevin Kisner was headed into a record-tying six-man playoff at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. Kisner was winless in five previous playoffs, but his caddie Duane Bock knew how to marshal his talents.
“Dewey reminds me that I won a playoff to get into match play against Ian Poulter the year I won (the 2019 WGC Dell Match Play), so he says that I’m 1-5,” Kisner said.
In his self-deprecating fashion, Kisner had the perfect response: “We’re not really increasing our odds to win in this playoff too much with six guys going at it.”
And what did Bock say after his boss made birdie on the second extra hole to claim victory?
“You beat five guys in this one so I think you’re 6-5 now,” Bock deadpanned.
Kisner’s victory nearly earned him a captain’s pick on the U.S. Ryder Cup team a few weeks later but Steve Stricker opted to go with an unproven, then winless pro named Scottie Scheffler instead. But Kisner, who thrived at the WGC Match Play, did get selected to the 2022 U.S. Presidents Cup team by Captain Davis Love III. In two weeks, he will be part of the team again but in a non-playing role as an assistant captain to Jim Furyk. In the last two years, Kisner’s game has slipped precipitously, dropping to No. 723 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and No. 198 in the FedEx Cup heading into the fall.
It’s a far cry from the gritty competitor who spent nearly eight consecutive years beginning in June 2015 inside the top 50 in the world (minus three weeks), winning four Tour titles, playing on two Presidents Cup teams and earning nearly $30 million under the tutelage of instructor John Tillery. Beginning in 2014, he helped Kisner get wider at the top with his transition and quiet his legs. Kisner jumped from outside the Tour’s top 100 to 38th in driving accuracy in 2015.
Of course, it’s that level of precision that has abandoned him in recent years. Even a victory at the Wyndham Championship, the final regular season FedEx Cup event, wouldn’t have been enough to lift Kisner, 40, into the FedEx Cup playoffs, which is why he agreed to serve as NBC’s lead analyst for the three playoff events. He’s been a popular fill-in this season for Paul Azinger as an analyst, working events in Hawaii, Phoenix, and the Players Championship previously to great fanfare. A guaranteed paycheck to do TV — albeit much smaller than he could possibly make between the ropes — is ripe for the taking if Kisner accepts being a part-time player. But he still lives to compete and doesn’t appear willing to walk away without going down swinging.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the writing on the wall: it’s becoming rare for any of the 40-somethings on Tour to hang with the modern-day bombers. Kisner still relishes the challenge of proving he belongs. To borrow one of his signature phrases, “This ain’t no hobby.”
Perhaps it’s a sign of his comfort level in the lead analyst chair that Kisner can explain with ease his own skid from Presidents Cup participant to falling outside the top 700 in the world. In fact, he can identify the moment when his game took a turn for the worse. Playing in a pro-am in Detroit ahead of the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, Kisner headed straight to the tee without any warm-up and flared a ball way right. “About 200 yards right and I had the craziest feeling when I hit it that I never had before and I didn’t figure out why for a long time,” said Kisner, who placed a glove under his right arm pit on the Silverado Resort range on Tuesday in search of his once-dependable draw. “We’ve got crazy minds. I was steep. I’m still trying to get rid of that two years later.”
Kevin Kisner of the United States walks on the seventh green during a practice round prior to the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on March 27, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
Under Tillery’s watchful eye, Kisner had driven it on a string, hitting 69.39 percent of fairways in 2018-19, which ranked 15th on Tour in accuracy. He wasn’t outside the top 33 in that category in a six-year span until he dipped to 56.94 percent in 2022-23. His confidence sagged and he sought a second opinion before splitting with Tillery. He bounced between instructors but things only got worse and he took an extended break last season to decompress.
“Standing on the tee not wanting to hit in front of people, that’s no way to play this Tour, that’s for sure,” he said. “And that’s what I felt.”
Playing the Tour suddenly felt like a job that was keeping him away from his wife and three kids. He and Tillery reunited but the magic was gone. After a decade-long run of success, Kisner and Tillery parted ways again this summer. As Tillery put it, “We decided to be friends before one of us killed the other one.”
Short and crooked is no way to make a living in the big leagues. Kisner began working with Andy Plummer, who is best known for Stack and Tilt, and Marian Dantzler, an old friend from his mini-tour days, but it is still to be determined if he’s turned a corner. Kisner said he hit rock bottom in Lexington, Kentucky at the ISCO Championship, an opposite-field event played the same week as the Genesis Scottish Open in July. Kisner shot 77 in the third round and was sent off in last place among those who made the cut as a single on Sunday.
“I basically just said, Who cares? This is gonna be the round where I either start seeing it or I don’t.’ And I did,” said Kisner, who carded a 69 and followed it up with three more rounds in the 60s and a T-33 at the 3M Open, his best result of the season and best finish since the 2022 RSM Classic. “I couldn’t hit it very good for two years. I’m starting to see some really good ball striking, especially in practice. You know, I still have some scar tissue from so many bad shots here.”
Tillery witnessed enough glimpses of good golf that he’s convinced Kisner still has better days ahead of him. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he figures it out,” Tillery said.
Max Homa and Kevin Kisner shake on the 18th green during round one of the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club on December 09, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
But time is of the essence. He made just five cuts in 18 starts this season and banked a measly $132,930. With his fully exempt status running out this season, Kisner has a lot at stake this fall and he said he plans to play in all the FedEx Fall events except for the Sanderson Farms Championship. He needs to improve into the top 125 to retain his privileges; otherwise, he could use a one-time top 50 career money list exemption – that is if he stays in it. He’s No. 50 heading into the fall. And if that doesn’t work out? His level of interest in doing TV may suddenly increase. This means this fall slate of tournaments may determine the direction of his career.
“Still want to play,” he said. “I’m really starting to hit them on the face again, which makes it fun. Golf can be fun when you’re not missing greens and always putting for par.”
Three have been named to Furyk’s contingent, although he can still name two more assistants prior to the event.
U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk has announced his captain’s assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup, scheduled for Sept. 24-29, 2024, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner were named to Furyk’s contingent, although he can still name two more assistants before the event.
The International team will turn to Canadian and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir as captain.
“I am excited to announce Stewart, Justin and Kevin as my captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal,” said Furyk. “The three of them have a tremendous history with this event, but more importantly, they will be trusted voices in the team room and on the course for our guys. I look forward to working with them closely as we build a 12-man U.S. Team that is ready to compete at Royal Montreal this fall.”
This will be the debut as an assistant for Kisner, who has made his love of match play well known, winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 and finishing as the event’s runner-up in both 2018 and 2022.
The University of Georgia product was a member of the U.S. President’s Cup team in both 2017 and 2022 and has a 2-2-3 career record in Presidents Cup competition.
Jim Furyk observes the driving range during the practice round of The 2017 Presidents Cup golf tournament at Liberty National Golf Course. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
“Match play is my favorite format in golf and I’m looking forward to adding some expertise and insight to our team room as we lead an incredible contingent of players into Montreal,” Kisner said in a media release. “Jim is someone I’ve looked up to throughout my career and is naturally just a great leader, so it was a thrill when he called and asked me to serve as a captain’s assistant this fall.”
Six players will automatically qualify for each team after the completion of the BMW Championship on Aug. 25th, 2024, and each captain will then pick six players to round out their 12-man squads.
Cink has played in four Presidents Cups and had a perfect 4-0-0 mark during his 2000 debut.
Leonard, 51, has been a member of the Presidents Cup team five times and was paired with Furyk four times.
After TGL’s stadium collapsed at the end of last year, its debut was pushed back to 2025. But as the date draws closer, we now have a significant information about the start-up technology-driven league started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports.
The first night of matches will take place on Jan. 7, 2025, in primetime on ESPN.
“As we plan the 2025 launch of TGL presented by SoFi, we now have the first three Tuesdays in January circled to introduce sports fans to this new form of team golf. January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA TOUR season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports.
Countless PGA Tour stars are involved in the new circuit, including Woods, McIlroy, Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, among others.
Learn everything you need to know about the TGL below.
A rising star and PGA Tour veteran round out the four-man team.
Like most players of his generation, Max Homa grew up idolizing Tiger Woods on the golf course. Now the two are teammates.
TGL, the tech-infused golf league backed by Woods and Rory McIlroy slated to now start early in 2025, announced its latest team roster on Monday morning. Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club will feature the fan-favorite Homa, rising star Tom Kim and veteran Kevin Kisner.
“I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods, who is part owner of Jupiter Links. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
— Jupiter Links Golf Club (@JupiterLinksGC) April 22, 2024
The club said the logo “brings to life the vibrant energy of Jupiter, with the ‘Palm Flag’ signature element combining beach and golf lifestyle with a golf pin flag and palm tree. The handwritten font is a nod to Tiger’s signature and the palm branches breaking the red circle represent the rising sun on the horizon.” As for the colors, the primary is, of course, “Tiger Red,” alongside midnight blue, sand and sunrise.
Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner will play for Jupiter Links Golf Club in the TGL. (Photo: Courtesy of TGL)
David Blitzer, co-founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is personally investing in Jupiter Links GC. Harris and Blitzer’s impressive portfolio include the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Blitzer is also a co-owner of MLB’s Cleveland Guardians and the NFL’s Washington Commanders, as well as a General Partner of Crystal Palace Football Club in the English Premier League. He also owns stake in Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake of and the Utah Royals of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Begay’s audition follows appearances from Kevin Kisner, Brandel Chamblee, Luke Donald and Jim “Bones” Mackay.
Another week on the PGA Tour, another tryout for the open chair calling golf for NBC.
Notah Begay is jumping on the revolving carousel of lead analysts for the network for this week’s 2024 Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort‘s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida. The 51-year-old has done well in his role as an on-course reporter for NBC and Golf Channel since he joined the network more than a decade ago and has taken a stab at commentary in the past.
“I’m excited and nervous,” Begay said to Golf Digest. “If we go back to (Johnny Miller), he made it look so simple and spoke from a strong position of experience. (Paul Azinger) did a wonderful job with his energy, and you could tell he still really loved to watch the game of golf.”
Begay is the latest talking head to throw his hat in the ring after Azinger wasn’t re-signed for the 2024 season, joining the likes of Kevin Kisner, Brandel Chamblee, and Luke Donald. Jim “Bones” Mackay also sat in the chair during the Mexico Open on an off week caddying for Justin Thomas.
“I mean, there’s a definite pressure, but that’s what professional athletes deal with all the time,” he said. “I spent a career dealing with pressure. … It’s a different kind of pressure because you’re being critiqued and evaluated, and that’s OK. We should be scrutinized and called out when we make mistakes because we should be ready for the big moments.”
“You hate to lose at anything,” he added. “You get to the PGA Tour because you don’t like to lose. But these decisions are made in the best interest of the NBC team, so whatever decisions are made, I’ll support it 100 percent. My job at that point, if it isn’t me, is to support whoever’s in there and allow them to be the best they can possibly be.”
Known for his connections to Tiger Woods after the pair were teammates at Stanford, Begay turned pro in 1995 after the Cardinal won the NCAA Championship in 1994. He won four times on the PGA Tour from August 1999-July 2000 and then struggled with injuries and form before he joined the NBC crew in 2012.
