Jim Furyk wanted Kevin Kisner to be one of his Presidents Cup assistant captains for the U.S. team for a very good reason.
“I think he keeps everyone loose,” Furyk said.
Kisner already has promised to rip off his shirt like the caddies at the Solheim Cup last weekend if Max Homa holes out next week a la Alison Lee.
Is this a preview for this year’s @PresidentsCup?
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— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 14, 2024
That isn’t the only reason Furyk chose Kisner to be one of his lieutenants. “I think the fact that he’s playing out here, doing television work out there, he’s very aware of their games and personalities, he even knows the other team, right? I know our team pretty well. Having Kis out here, he’s very well aware of everyone’s games,” Furyk said.
When the U.S. captain phoned to ask Kisner to take on the role, Kisner said he took “two seconds” to sign on.
“I didn’t even look at the calendar where I was going to be or anything,” Kisner said. “I actually kind of messed up. I was supposed to be in Colorado on an elk hunt and so I had to bail on that, but I’d rather do the vice captaincy. I can hunt any year.”
Kisner did television for NBC during the three FedEx Cup playoff events, which allowed him to spend time with the players who qualified for the team and get a better sense of who they wanted to round out the squad. Kisner also played the Procore Championship last week and took part in Furyk’s team dinner, which included fellow assistant captains Stewart Cink and Brandt Snedeker.
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“I’ll do whatever Jim wants me to do and I’m happy to be a part of the team. I love being a part of a team,” he said. “I miss the team atmosphere, team sports growing up. That’s all I did, and I can’t wait to do whatever I can to help.”
But he may be preoccupied beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (along with Brian Harman). That’s when his alma mater, the University of Georgia, kicks off against Alabama in a SEC showdown.
“In ’17 I asked to sit out in the afternoon,” Kisner said, “because Georgia played Tennessee. (Captain Steve) Strick(er) is like seriously? I’m like, ‘Yeah, man, that’s my squad.’ ”
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Neither an elk hunt nor a Bulldogs game will keep Kisner from doing all he can to ensure the U.S. retains the Presidents Cup. In Napa last week, he joked, “I might be able to work on my game if Furyk would stop calling me.”
Someone has to make sure Team USA stays loose and there’s no one more capable of that job than Kisner.