USA TODAY International Edition
Kisner works on returning to winning form
This time last year Kevin Kisner steamrolled the field for his breakthrough win on the PGA Tour, putting three losses in playoffs in a span of eight starts behind him by winning the RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club by a tournamentrecord six shots.
This year Kisner is looking to put the brakes on a long slide.
“I struggled all of this last year,” said Kisner, never one to mince words.
When he left this seaside resort last year, he had the look of one ready to take the next step on the Tour, his confidence a threatening 15th club in his bag. His game was in form, he was ranked No. 17 in the official world golf rankings and his eye was on heightened expectations.
So he and his coach, John Tillery, went to work.
Somewhere, however, his improving play got lost in translation. And a back injury around the Masters didn’t help matters. Instead of taking the next step, Kisner, 32, went backward. Since winning the RSM Classic, where he shot 64- 64 on the weekend and set several tournament records — including the 72- hole score of 260, which shattered the previous record by four shots — he has four top- 10 finishes in 25 starts, with five missed cuts.
“We worked so hard to get to what I wanted to achieve, John and I, and we probably branched off of it a touch trying to get better,” said Kisner, now ranked 41st. “Sometimes you don’t have to get better. Sometimes you just have to keep doing what you’re doing, so we’ve kind of gone full circle back to what we were working on, which is the things that got us to where we were. We’ve set up a plan, and we’ll see what happens with the results.”
He likes what he’s seen so far, putting in long hours on the range the last two weeks. And he loves Sea Island, where he also tied for 20th in the McGladrey Classic in 2013 and tied for fourth in 2014.
“I’m seeing results on the range,” he said. “The big difference from the range and the golf course is what has been difficult for me all year. I’ve struggled on the golf course, putting too much pressure on myself. I’ve just got to get back to playing golf and making a bunch of birdies.”
Worked last year when he made 22 birdies and an eagle in 72 holes.
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