The PGA Tour’s resident trash-talker — the de-facto leader of the “tell it like it is” movement in pro golf — has a big year ahead of him. Kevin Kisner is not only set to be the lead NBC golf analyst this tour season, but on Wednesday he was announced as one of U.S. captain Keegan Bradley’s assistants for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Since he first earned his tour card in 2011, Kisner’s fiery game has been just as much of a fixture as his unfiltered charm. Now, the four-time PGA Tour winner has one more shot at continuing his playing career at 40 years old, while simultaneously diving more fully into the broadcast media realm. In 2025, Kisner, known as “Kiz” to everyone on the PGA Tour, will make use of the tour’s career money exemption for the top 50 all-time earners on tour. He’s exactly No. 50 on that list.
That schedule will allow the player-turned-analyst to be in the booth for some of the biggest tournaments of the year, including but not limited to: U.S. Open, Open Championship, Players Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs. He, however, won’t be a part of NBC’s broadcast of the Ryder Cup, choosing the team room over the booth. NBC supported that decision, Kisner said.
Kisner first spoke to The Athletic in December about this pivotal moment in his career, then agreed to answer two more questions on Wednesday about the Ryder Cup decision. Those answers begin this Q&A, followed by his thoughts on his playing career, the role broadcast partners have in golf and more.
His answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team just announced that you are going to be an assistant captain to Keegan Bradley at Bethpage Black. What excites you the most about the role?
I love the team atmosphere. I grew up playing team sports and that is what I truly miss about professional golf. I think New York will have an awesome atmosphere, and I can’t wait to work with Keegan (Bradley) and the other vice-captains to bring the cup back to America.
What do you think about the new wave of younger leadership in the U.S. Ryder Cup team pipeline, and what do you think you can bring to the table with that in mind?
Adding younger guys to the captain’s room goes right along with the new era of professional golf. The average age on tour is dropping every year and will continue to do so. It is my belief that you need captains who can relate to the younger player. I want the players to feel like they can tell me whatever they want, and I can relay that back to Keegan to help us win the cup.
Kevin Kisner was an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup last year, a role he’ll repeat for the Ryder Cup. (Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)
You’re going to be one of NBC’s lead golf analysts this year. When did you get that call?
As soon as we got done with the playoffs last year, (NBC golf head) Sam Flood and I talked a couple of times. He said he wanted to come to Aiken and see me with Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports, and Tommy Roy the producer. We worked out a date and they came and spent three or four hours with my wife Brittany and I. We chatted about life and they basically asked if I had any interest in taking a job full-time. We discussed it for a while, and I told them I still wanted to play on my top-50 career money (exemption), but I loved the opportunity. I liked the team. I was grateful for it. And if they’re willing to work with me through 2025 — that if I wasn’t good on the golf course, I’d give them my all in 2026. And if I was good on the course, then they’d have to find somebody else in 2026.
So the future of your contract depends on how the golf goes this year?
Yes. We have a mutual option that we’ll re-agree at the end of 2025. They’ve been incredible to work with and we’ve been so upfront with each other. I didn’t want it to be a situation that could end poorly, because I’ve been through enough situations in my life. They want me to be successful playing golf, and even if I play great and I keep my card, I would still help them out in 2026 at the bigger events. If I’m at an event, I’m happy to help them out. But we have a plan for 2025. We’re going to worry about that for now.
What does your schedule look like for the first few months of 2025?
My first playing event is TGL. Then I’m going to play Amex, then Phoenix and Cognizant. They’re so cool at NBC — if I play in a tournament that they’re broadcasting and I miss a cut, they’ll allow me to call the weekend (if I want to stick around.) I’m guaranteed to call the Players, the two majors, the playoff events and the Ryder Cup, as long as I wasn’t in any of those events. I told them I would make three other events work, one way or another.
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In 2025, what do you think the role of the color commentator is? Has it shifted over time?
Well, I think the role of TV and tour players is a partnership. I think that hasn’t been adequately displayed over the course of the last 30 years on the PGA Tour. The player’s biggest partner in money is their media obligations and their media rights — their persona or “aura.” I don’t know if that’s the right word, I’ve just been on a four-day hunting trip. Whatever you want to call it, the players should not be thinking that the media is out to get them anymore, especially the TV media guys. Because if you don’t have them, the next media deal is not going to be big. So that’s what I always talk to the guys about. I’m like, man, I will never do anything to disrespect you or to hurt your career or hurt your brand. But you have to give us some more access, and I think that’s going to be my kind of M.O. in this role. Try to bring the two together more often.
Do you think that partnership is starting to get stronger?
Things are trending in the right direction, because more players are starting to understand what goes on at the PGA Tour. We have more players on the board and more players actively involved in the decision-making. When I first started playing on tour, I had no idea what our media rights deal was. After three years of being on the board, I know every dollar and how it can change and when the time’s up and how long the contract is.
Have players been receptive?
I’m there for them as much as I’m there for NBC. I think the two brands together should mold perfectly. They’re partners, right? I don’t think many of the players perceive it as that.
What is something that you had no idea about broadcasting that you learned for the first time last year?
Just the flow of it. How little prep they gave me for going on. I thought I’d have to go to school or something. Obviously, I’m not a broadcaster. A 20-minute phone call led them to give me a mic on a national program, which is kind of scary. Tommy Roy gave me a 20-minute rundown of how it works and do’s and don’ts. Then I flew to Maui, and I sat in the truck the first day of The Sentry and watched. Then I went into the booth and watched for a couple of hours. The next day they were handing me a microphone.
What have you learned about golf since starting to commentate pro golf?
The best players every week are doing the same stuff. It’s just about who doesn’t make mistakes, and who makes the putts. If you watch from our point of view, they all hit it in the general area of the green on every hole. At the end of the day, I know exactly what a certain putt does because I’ve watched it 15 times from all these good players hitting the same spot. The really good players hit it in the same spot on the greens. When you’re playing really well, it’s like robotic golf.
Scottie (Scheffler), he had an incredible year. What did he make? $70 million? I got to spend a lot of time with him at the Presidents Cup. Him and Russell Henley were my guys. We had a ball together all week. I just love the way Scottie can focus. He can focus as well as any player I’ve ever seen, like Tiger. Tiger wore it all the time, but Scottie smiles more than Tiger used to. They have the same laser focus when it’s time to hit a golf shot.
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As a player, what do you want from the guy talking about you in the booth? Do you emulate that when you’re up there?
I want my 12 handicap buddies sitting at home to say, “Yes, he’s right” or “I’m going to try that.” And I also want Scottie Scheffler to say, yeah, I did pull the heck out of that putt. Kiz is right. So if I can get both sides of the equation to understand and know that I’m right, then I’m doing my job.
How do you balance being your normal no-filter self and also being in a big-time corporate role?
They want me to be me. That’s the whole reason I took my job. The only thing I can’t do is say a bunch of cuss words. If you go ask the locker room, I think anybody on tour would tell you that they always know exactly where they stand with me. I pretty much tell it like it is all the time. So that comes pretty naturally to me, even with the headphones on. I stick to my guns and tell it like it is.
(Top photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
