Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Kisner joined Smylie Kaufman on his podcast and the duo discussed a Presidents Cup moment even Phil Mickelson had to certify.
Fresh off his NBC Sports debut at The Sentry, Kevin Kisner joined fellow analyst Smylie Kaufman on his podcast. The duo discussed various things, but one of the most hilarious moments came when Kaufman asked Kisner about playing with Phil Mickelson at the 2017 Presidents Cup.
On the Wednesday before the Liberty Golf Club event, Team USA captain Steve Stricker switched up the pods for their money match. He put Kisner with Mickelson and the former was questioning the decision.
“Literally, in my pregame, I was like, I can’t play with Phil. I hit all the fairways, Phil never hits one — I don’t know how to play with that guy,” Kisner said to Kaufman. “He’s like, ‘Well, Phil has an astronomer that graded all the two teams, and you got the highest grade. Just told us that he wasn’t playing with anyone but you.’
Why the switch was made became a classic quote from the former Georgia Bulldog.
“So I was like, ‘Okay, that’s the weirdest s*** I’ve ever heard in my life,'” Kisner said. “So I talk to Phil, ‘What’s up with this astronomer?’ He goes, ‘Not only that, Kiz, every time I hit a shot, I need you to face me with your belly because all your energy comes from your belly, and I can pull your energy before every shot.’
Kisner rolls with Mickelson’s antics, and it paid off for them.
“Sure enough, he doesn’t f***ing forget one, man,” Kisner said. “Every time he goes to hit, he’s like, ‘Kiz! Kiz! Here! Stand right here!’ I’m like, jeez, this is the weirdest s*** I’ve ever done in my life. We missed one fairway in that match… He hit every fairway that was his tee ball… We drummed J Day [Jason Day] and Marc Leishman.”
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
What makes this story even better is that Lefty responded to Kaufman’s tweet, confirming the incident.
That week, as a pair, Kisner and Mickelson went 2-0-1 together. helping Team USA crush the International squad, 19-11.
This story is fantastic because it shows how quirky Mickelson can be about golf.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
