PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Kevin Kisner’s reputation as golf’s “everyman” has defined much of his career.
He’s the fan favorite whose self-deprecating charm bridges the gap between the common golfer and a successful PGA Tour pro.
After 14 years of holding a full-time PGA Tour card that garnered four wins and an Official World Golf Ranking as high as No. 14 in 2016, Kisner, 42, has transitioned to only playing in select events.
Now prioritizing a career in the media, Kisner is at peace with leaving his best days on Tour behind him — he’s just doing it without sacrificing his devotion to golf, or the relationships he’s forged.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get to that point,” Kisner told The Post. “I want to continue to play so I can be amongst the guys. Understand, you know, it’s only gonna help my broadcast and my brand by playing more. But I don’t have any want to play 25 times a year, 30 times a year at 42 years old with three kids.”
Kisner’s time is now primarily split between serving as the lead golf analyst on NBC, competing on the Jupiter Links Golf Club in the TGL indoor simulation league and most recently, joining Barstool Sports’ “Fore Play” golf podcast.
The combination of his off-the-cuff commentary, veteran experience and bonds with current players makes him an asset in the NBC broadcast booth alongside Dan Hicks. Last year, Kisner called flagship events such as the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, the Players Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup.
Adding commentary that reflects perspective without compromising his standing within the clubhouse is Kisner’s balancing act, so criticism must come judiciously.
“I always wanted to be the guy that [players] felt like, whatever I said, that was right, and I was never gonna do anything to lose their trust or say anything that would be offensive to them,” he said.
In TGL, Kisner competes under a three-on-three alternate-shot format where relationships with teammates serve as an asset. Matches are 15 holes and are played inside a 1,500 capacity arena specifically built for an intimate, yet energetic golf viewing experience.
It’s a theatre that’s tailor-made for characters like Kisner: Players wear Bluetooth earpieces not only to communicate with teammates and adjust what they hear, but to chat candidly with the ESPN broadcast crew during play.
“I would say the relationship with the players is why I continue to [compete in TGL] as well as broadcast,” Kisner said. “I never want to be seen as the broadcaster that just sits up in the booth and talks about players he doesn’t know or doesn’t interact with.”
While the long periods between shots have made individual consistency a challenge for Kisner in TGL, the drive to contribute to a team effort supplants those adjustments.
“I was such a rhythm golfer throughout my career, and the format here kind of doesn’t ever let me get going, but I love the team atmosphere,” Kisner said. “The three-man alternate shot is so cool when you’re hitting on a roll, you’re getting momentum. You can feel the energy and the juice, and you really want to perform, and that’s what I love doing.”
One of Kisner’s most viral “one of us” moments came in his TGL debut: a bladed-bunker shot struck the flagstick and bounced off the green, which had his Jupiter Links teammates — Tiger Woods and Max Homa — roaring with laughter.
In TGL’s second season, Kisner helped his Jupiter Links reach their first playoff berth by besting Wyndham Clark on the final hole of a winner-take-all regular season-finale.
He hasn’t made a PGA Tour appearance since the RSM Classic last November and his last top-10 finish came in July at the ISCO Championship. Kisner, who won $29.4 million in PGA Tour career earnings, retained his playing privileges by using a top-50 career money exemption in 2025 despite finishing outside the top 125 in the 2024 FedEx Cup Standings.
He made three of 17 cuts in 2025, but Kisner’s idea of success is now measured more than just by leaderboard finishes. It’s about life balance and “building your brand.”
“I’m in a great spot, man,” Kisner said. “I get to go work for NBC. I get to come play [TGL]. I get to play a few handful of events that I really love, and I still get to go see my kids and go to their sporting events as well.”
When The Post noted that it sounded like the best of both worlds, Kisner quipped, “Yeah, trying, anyway. Until I get fired from something.
“Then I gotta find another job.”