Why this top-40 player says he has a slim chance of ever winning a major

Kevin Kisner has established himself as one of the Tour’s top players. Currently ranked 39th in the world, Kisner has four PGA Tour wins and two top-seven finishes in the majors, including a runner-up at the Open Championship.

Despite his success, Kisner says he isn’t bullish on his chances of contending at majors in the future, mostly because he’s not one of the Tour’s long bombers.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, Kisner explained to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that in order for him to compete, he’d have to play “perfect golf.”

“I don’t even think I can contend in most of ’em, to be honest,” Kisner said. “I mean, I’d have to play, like, perfect golf, waste my 4-iron right at my target and make putts. It is what it is. It’s fine, that’s the way the game is movin’.”

Kisner said that certain venues might give him a chance, but that’s asking a lot.

“St. Andrews I could win, if things lined up properly. But that’s one out of four, and that has to be the week. So I can either learn how to hit it further or just be content with where my career is.”

One major that would be especially meaningful for Kisner as an Aiken, S.C. native and University of Georgia alum is the Masters. But Kisner’s best career finish at storied Augusta National is T21, and he’s missed the cut in his last two appearances.

“I can’t hit it close enough with the irons I have to hit in, to be honest with you,” Kisner said. “I stand on 4 tee one under par or even every year, and I’m like, okay, I’ve gotta play 4, 5, 6, 7 in even par to compete, and I can’t do it.

“I’ll never forget: Last year on Friday at Augusta, it was kinda a little bit breezy, it wasn’t great,” Kisner continued. “And I hit 3-iron on 4. The pin was back left. It landed in that bottom shelf. It ran up to the top, rolled back down to 55 feet. I two-putted. Great two-putt. I go to 5 and I lace a driver and I lace a 4-iron right at it to the middle-left. It rolls up the hill, all the way back to the front fringe. I got 80 feet. Three-putt. So I’m one over on those holes. I walk to 6 tee, the pin’s back right, I hit what I thought was a cut, so it probably went dead straight. At the flag. Six-iron. It lands in the back fringe, one-hops in the gallery. Now you’re playing for bogey. Now I’m two over. Then I walk to 7 tee and I pull in in the left rough and I gotta hit a low hook in a pot bunker. I’m like, [Duane], I’ve missed one shot in four holes and I gotta get this up-and-down to stay two over in four holes. And the leaders are 15 under. I’m out.”

For more from Kisner, including the players Kisner most likes to win money games against and his thoughts on Ryder Cup snubs, check out the full interview below.

Golf.com

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.