'I'm just going to call it like it is': Aiken golfer Kisner looks forward to debut as TV analyst

Dec. 30—Just because Kevin Kisner is starting 2024 in the broadcast booth doesn't mean he is giving up on professional golf.

Not even close to it.

Kisner, an Aiken native and four-time winner on the PGA Tour, will be part of the NBC broadcast team for two events early in the golf season. He starts with The Sentry, the season opener in Hawaii, and then will be part of the telecast for the WM Phoenix Open in February.

"A lot of people have asked me am I quitting," he said. "That's kind of the No. 1 question. But I'm only doing two for now."

NBC made the announcement Dec. 17 that Kisner would serve as analyst for the two tournaments. The network doesn't have a full-time analyst since Paul Azinger and NBC couldn't come to terms on a contract.

"Tommy Roy with NBC Sports, he's asked me before if I had any interest," Kisner said. "I told him I still wanted to play. But he's flirted with the idea for a couple of years. He came to Sea Island and came up to me and said there's news that's going to break, and I want to see if you have any interest in having a phone call next week."

Kisner got a call from Roy, lead producer for NBC Sports' golf coverage, during Thanksgiving week and agreed to "give him a couple of weeks to try it out and see if I liked it."

"It just depends on how golf goes this year," Kisner said. "This is the last year I'm exempt."

2023 recap

Kisner's 2023 golf season was one to forget. He came into the year struggling to hit his driver with any consistency, and after a streak of missed cuts and withdrawals he shut down his season in June.

"I just started playing poorly and it wasn't fun, and I didn't want to be on the road," Kisner said. "I knew I was going to hit a bad shot before I hit it, and there was no point in being out there wasting time and money and effort if you're not there mentally or physically.

"So, a break was needed. I did a few starts back this fall to see where I was. I wasn't overly thrilled, although I made all the cuts."

Kisner reunited with longtime swing instructor John Tillery in June.

"I tried some other coaches and they sent me down a rabbit hole chasing stuff I didn't need to," Kisner said. "All that combined, and I was at the point of my career where I wasn't sure I wanted to be out there by myself all the time.

"It gets old, traveling, being gone, and kids are doing all the things. They are (ages) 9, 6 and about to be 3. They're in the heat of everything. The question of 'why are you leaving again,' that's starting to hit home more than it ever has."

Learning on the job

Kisner has been grinding on the range at Palmetto Golf Club, but said he has done very little to get ready for his work as an analyst.

"Zero. I'm literally shocked how little I've been asked to do," he said with a laugh. "We had a 30-minute phone call on do's and don'ts, and I've got a long notepad that I'll probably go over a couple of times on the 13-hour flight.

Kisner said he will be on the NBC telecast on Saturday and Sunday.

"I may sit in for a little bit on Friday for Golf Channel," he said. "I don't even know if I'm going to talk, just put on a headset and watch how it flows. I don't even know when I'm supposed to talk. I've reached out to (NBC's lead play-by-play announcer) Dan Hicks. Tommy will be in my ear. I'll be leaning heavy on Dan, he's a good friend and we know each other well."

Kisner admits that he doesn't watch a lot of golf on TV, but he is familiar with analysts such as Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo.

"Johnny always said 'choke.' I don't plan on using that word a whole lot," he said. "It was always the pressure that caused the bad shots. Obviously, Nick Faldo I've listened to a ton. To be honest, I don't watch a lot of golf."

And no, there isn't a delay in the telecast if he does happen to say something inappropriate.

"That's what I asked Tommy. What happens if I mess up?" Kisner said. "He said you get canceled, not me. So I'll be on my p's and q's, trying my best."

He isn't worried about ruffling any feathers with his fellow players.

"I'm not going to be a guy that's a hater, I'm just going to call it like it is," Kisner said. "I think that's why all the guys liked me on the (Presidents Cup) teams and in the locker room, I keep it 100 (percent) and keep it real. That's the way I'm going to speak on golf, I'm not going to sugarcoat it and I'm going to tell them if it's a bad idea or a good idea. If they don't respect that, so be it."

Not in the Masters

Kisner will start his 2024 playing season the week after his broadcast debut. He will play the Sony Open in Hawaii, and he's writing letters to many of the elevated events to see if he can get a sponsor's invitation.

"I've been grinding pretty hard since Sea Island, working on a game plan for the season, and hopefully off to the races at the Sony," he said. "I've just got to start driving the ball in play consistently. Get over all the fear of the 8 million bad drives I've hit in the last 18 months."

Kisner has fallen to No. 215 in the Official World Golf Ranking after spending much of the past decade in the top 50. Being in the top 50 opens many doors, including the majors and events that have elevated purses.

"I've got to get the ball in the fairway off the tee, and have confidence in it," he said. "I can hit it out there with them decent if I'm hitting it solid and I'm in sequence, but if I'm just faking it out there it's no fun. Guys are hitting it too far now for that."

And, for the first time since 2015, Kisner is on the outside looking in for the Masters Tournament.

"I think I've played eight in a row and don't want to miss another one, but it's not going to be the end of my life if I don't make it," he said. "If you'd told me in 2014 I was going to play eight Masters in a row, I would have laughed in your face. Just to be able to accomplish that I'm not going to beat myself up for not being in."

Kisner turns 40 in February, but he's not ready to give up the game just yet. Television could provide a nice alternative if he chooses to go that route.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity. I'm excited to see how I do," he said. "I may fall flat on my face, I have no idea, but I'm not too concerned either way. It's not like I went seeking the job. We'll see how it goes."