Kevin Kisner on Ryder Cup selection process: ‘It’s too political for me’

Kevin Kisner doesn’t sound like a guy who is expecting to make a Ryder Cup team.

The 38-year-old Kisner appeared on Golf.com’s Subpar Podcast with Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, and among the topics was Kisner’s exclusion from last year’s U.S. team that went on to win at Whistling Straits. Kisner finished the qualifying process ranked just 18^th in points and performed poorly in his two playoff starts, though there was some public push for Kisner, a strong putter and match-play competitor, to be named as one of captain Steve Stricker’s six captain’s picks.

“I don’t know, man. They don’t like me, I guess,” Kisner said on the podcast. “I’ve had the same phone call for about four years in a row from about every captain: ‘Man, you were on the team and then you didn’t play well in the playoffs.’ I’m like, ‘OK, bud.’ I don’t know. I didn’t give a s—. It’s too political for me, and I don’t really care, I don’t really get caught up in that s—. I love Stricker to death, he’s my favorite captain, but he didn’t pick me this year, which I get. I didn’t play worth a s— in the playoffs.”

Kisner’s match-play credentials are strong, though much of his work came a few years back – he went 2-0-1 at the 2017 Presidents Cup, and he owns a win (2019) and runner-up (2018) at the WGC-Dell Match Play. Last season, Kisner won the Wyndham Championship in August, but he struggled with his ball-striking for much of the year and didn’t make it to East Lake after missing the cut at The Northern Trust and tying for last at the BMW Championship.

While Kisner contends that he would “love” to be on future teams, it’s not something that keeps him up at night.

“Whatever, it’s fine. I don’t really care,” Kisner added. “I love playing team golf, I love representing the U.S., I’d love to be on any team possible. But if my career ended tomorrow, I’m perfectly content with everything I’ve accomplished. If you had told me 15 years ago, you’re going to have four wins, play in a Presidents Cup, play in 35 straight majors, or whatever the hell I’ve done, I would have said, ‘You’re f—ing crazy.’

“I’m pretty good with what I’ve done. I got a kick-ass foundation, and I got a cool family, and I get to do anything in the world I want to f—ing do, so f— ‘em.”