Telling it like it is
Kevin Kisner nails his first memorable call, and it was at Jordan Spieth's expense
Michael Reaves
Kevin Kisner already is getting positive reviews for his first foray in the broadcast booth with NBC Sports at this week’s The Sentry. So far, Kis has used his Georgia twang and offbeat thoughts to brighten up the broadcast. (Though we have to say that his much-touted walk-and-talk interview with Bulldogs buddy Brendon Todd on Saturday was a bit of a dud.)
The fear with these guys fresh off the tour (and in Kisner’s case, he’s still playing) is that they simply won’t dare criticize their peers beyond something that is completely obvious to the rest of us. Well, Kis already did himself proud on Saturday by giving Jordan Spieth a good-natured needle about the Texan’s laborious putting routine.
In contention, Spieth spent a long time lining up a roll of no more than three feet for birdie on the par-5 15th at Kapalua. A 4 would get him to 18 under and close to the lead. “If I was going to help him,” Kisner observed, “I’d tell him to speed it up on these and just knock it in. He knows how to make these.”
Sure enough, Spieth, who went back to his habit of looking at the hole instead of the ball, missed the putt, with the ball catching the right edge and spinning off the back of the cup. A mic caught Speith lamenting, “Hill to the right, grain and wind to the left … ”
To which Kisner quipped: “That’s 3 feet Jordan; just knock it in, bud.”
Funny, and so true, and Kisner got plenty of love for it on Golf X (formerly Golf Twitter).
“We needed this. Brings back the lost flavor of Johnny Miller.” Another: “I heard this live. Kis is hysterical.”
It’s only a start, but if this was appetizer, give us more Kis.