Kevin Kisner isn’t buying what Rory McIlroy is selling at this week’s DP World India Championship.
In the latest episode of the Fore Play podcast, Kisner suggested the six-time major champion is teeing it up in New Delhi for financial incentives rather than a desire to grow the game globally.
The criticism came after McIlroy’s appearance at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, where he discussed expanding golf’s reach in India.
During the forum, McIlroy explained he hoped that his participation in the DP World Tour event could help grow the game in India by increasing access to the sport and encouraging more people to take up golf. Kisner, however, didn’t buy that McIlroy’s motivation for teeing it up in India was purely for the good of the game.
🚨💰🏌️#MONEY BALL — Speaking on the @ForePlayPod, Kevin Kisner calls out Rory McIlroy for his previous comments about wanting to grow the game globally, insisting Rory’s in India this week for the appearance fee he allegedly receives
Kiz: “That is such a dog sh!t comment, but I guess for the right price, we could all say that comment (about growing the game). He doesn’t want to globally expand in India, he wants to get his $10 million bucks and go play in India.”
Kiz: “…I know there’s a pile of guys that got paid for that event. How else would you get that event in India with eight billion people in the middle of the city? And Rory’s not even hitting a driver this week. You think he wants to go play a tournament where he can’t use his number one weapon? So give me a break.”
Riggs: “The whole thing’s an appearance. It’s not he’s not like, you know what? I can’t wait to go play really far away. And while I’m there, uh, management team, could you book me like a public appearance where I can talk about live and all that? Because I would like there’s just no fucking chance. So, so yeah, obviously they’re getting paid to be there and good for them. I wouldn’t say no to that, you know, for sure. I understand it. But it is funny when it gets painted as like this altruistic move to grow the game in another part of the world. I laugh at that every time.”
Kiz: “They always seem to say the right things while they’re over there. As part of your appearance fee, here’s your script for altruism, and you need to mention these four lines in whatever interview you do throughout the week. Which is totally fine, I’d do it too, and all of us on this podcast would. I just find it hilarious when you can pop up and play an event where Rory McIlroy can’t hit his driver, and all those guys show up, and nobody’s like, ‘alright, this is stupid’, whenever they can go play the sickest course in the world, and none of them show up. It’s just very odd to me.”
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“That is such a dog s–t comment, but I guess for the right price, we could all say that comment [about growing the game],” Kisner said. “He doesn’t want to globally expand in India; he wants to get his $10 million bucks and go play in India.
“I know there are a pile of guys who got paid for that event. How else would you get that event in India with eight billion people in the middle of the city?”
McIlroy is playing in the DP World India Championship for the second straight season and is getting an appearance fee. The exact amount McIlroy is being paid to play is not publicly disclosed. McIlroy is not the only player in the field being paid for his presence. Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are among the other stars in New Delhi. They were also required to fulfill some promotional duties for the tournament, which included a “Diwali with the Stars” dinner on Friday.
“They always seem to say the right things while they’re over there,” Kisner said. “As part of your appearance fee, here’s your script for altruism, and you need to mention these four lines in whatever interview you do throughout the week. Which is totally fine; I’d do it too, and all of us on this podcast would. I just find it hilarious when you can pop up and play an event where Rory McIlroy can’t hit his driver, and all those guys show up, and nobody’s like, ‘alright, this is stupid’, whenever they can go play the sickest course in the world, and none of them show up. It’s just very odd to me.”
Kisner also questioned McIlroy’s decision to compete at a venue where he would likely have to bench his biggest asset.
“And Rory’s not even hitting a driver this week. You think he wants to go play a tournament where he can’t use his number one weapon? So give me a break,” he continued.
Fellow Fore Play host Riggs echoed Kisner’s skepticism, talking about the tendency to portray high-profile players’ appearances at international tournaments as efforts to grow the game.
“I understand it. But it is funny when it gets painted as like this altruistic move to grow the game in another part of the world,” Riggs said.
The comments are particularly interesting given that McIlroy took a few shots at LIV Golf during the same Bloomberg forum, criticizing the league for “enriching tour pros who were already making a lot of money” instead of investing in the ecosystem to grow the game.
The contrasting perspectives raise a broader question about the role of financial incentives in golf’s global expansion. While McIlroy highlights the potential for elite tournaments to introduce the sport to new audiences, Kisner suggests that the arrangements behind such appearances deserve closer scrutiny.
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