Kevin Kisner isn’t buying what Rory McIlroy is selling at this week’s DP India Championship.
In the most recent episode of the Fore Play podcast, Kisner, a six-year-old champion, suggested that economic incentives in New Delhi rather than interest in growing the game globally.
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The criticism came after McIlroy’s appearance at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, where he discussed the expansion of golf in India.
At the forum, McIlroy explained that he hoped his participation in the DP World Tour event could help grow the game in India by increasing access to the game and getting more people to take up golf. But Kisner didn’t buy McIlroy’s argument that for teeing it up in India it was only for the good of the game.
“That’s a dog comment st, but I guess right, we could all comment” [about growing the game]”Kisner said.” It does not want to expand globally in India; He wants to earn 10 million dollars and play in India.
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“I know there are a bunch of guys who got paid for that event. How do you have that event in India with eight thousand people in the middle of the city?”
McIlroy is playing in the DP World India Championship for the second straight season and is receiving an appearance fee. The amount McIlroy was paid to play has not been publicly disclosed. McIlroy is not the only player in his field to be paid for his presence. Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are among the other stars in New Delhi. He also did some promotional work for the tournament, which included a “Diwali with the stars” dinner on Friday.
“They always seem to say good things while you’re there,” Kisner said. “As part of your pay appearance, here’s your script for altruism, and you have to mention these four lines in any interview you do throughout the week. Which is totally fine; I would do it too, and I’d like all of us on this podcast. I just find it hilarious when you pop up and play the event, where Rory McIlroy can’t hit his driver, and all those guys are, and there’s no one, and all those guys are, ‘he’s a criminal,’ and all the guys are like, “in this way you find it hilarious when you can act and play an event where Rory McIlroy can’t hit his driver, and all those guys are, and all those guys are like that, and all the people are going stupid, and they are stupid, and all those guys are, and it can be criminal. The weakest course in the world, and none of them appears.
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Kisner also agreed to McIlroy’s decision to compete for the venue where he would be playing his biggest game.
“And Rory didn’t even hit a driver this week. Do you think he wants to play in a tournament where he can’t use a number one weapon? Give me a sequel,” he said.
Fore Play co-host Riggs echoed Kisner’s skepticism, talking about the trend toward high-profile players appearing in international tournaments as an effort to grow the game.
“I understand that. But it’s funny when it’s portrayed as this altruistic move to grow the game in another part of the world,” Riggs said.
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The comments were particularly interesting because McIlroy took a few shots at LIV Golf in the same Bloomberg forum, criticizing the league for “enriching tour pros who were already making a lot of money” for investing in the ecosystem to grow the game.
The different perspectives raise the broader question of the role of financial incentives in golf’s global expansion. While McIlroy highlights the potential for elite tournaments to introduce laughter to new audiences, Kisner suggests that the regulations behind such appearances deserve closer scrutiny.
The post ‘He wants his $10 million’: Kevin Kisner slams Rory McIlroy for ‘growing the game’ controversy in India appeared first on Golf.