Kisner expecting Augusta National to play 'long and difficult' - Charleston Post Courier

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AUGUSTA — Kevin Kisner drew some “oohs” and “aahs” during his Tuesday practice round from a two-time Masters Tournament champ.

The Aiken golfer played nine holes with Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson. The foursome played the front nine and enjoyed a little friendly competition on the cloudy morning.

When Kisner’s chip at the par-5 8th hole nearly went in the cup, Watson said, “Oh, man.”

And when Kisner piped a drive down the ninth fairway, Watson whistled his approval. The drive wound up just a few yards behind Watson, one of the longest players on the PGA Tour.

Not bad praise, considering Watson won the Masters in 2012 and 2014.

Kisner is ready for his fifth Masters Tournament appearance. Now he is just waiting to see how much rain actually comes down at Augusta National this week. The forecast calls for showers each day the rest of the week.

“It’s going to play long and difficult,” he said. “Just hope the weather stays somewhat clear that we can get it in in four days. Doesn’t look good right now. The golf course is in good shape, greens aren’t as fast as we are accustomed to yet, but you never know what can happen by Thursday.”

Kisner is scheduled to tee off early Thursday, at 7:22 a.m., from the 10th tee. He is grouped with Adam Hadwin of Canada and former Junior Invitational at Sage Valley winner Scottie Scheffler.

On Friday, Kisner will begin at No. 1 with the same group at 11:27 a.m.

Starting on No. 10 isn’t ideal, but Kisner did it in the final round of the 2019 Masters when expected bad weather forced an early start. Kisner had one of his best rounds at Augusta National that day and finished at 3-under-par 69.

“It’s not a cool tee shot to start, trying to hook a driver 20 or 30 yards,” he said. “If wind stays in the same direction, left to right, it makes it more difficult. But I played my best round ever in the Masters last year going off 10 on Sunday. Obviously, you can make more birdies on the back and try to get off to a good start if you can.”

Depending on the weather, Kisner said he might stay home Wednesday. He lives off the 17th fairway at Palmetto Golf Club.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I think I’m going to take my clubs with me,” he said. “If it’s really bad, I might just play Palmetto in the afternoon. I’ve been over (to Augusta) every day since Saturday. I’ll stay at home and relax. I know what to expect over here, just work on some things and go out the back door if I need to.”

Like everyone else, Kisner is still adjusting to a Masters without patrons.

“It’s very spooky. There’s just no energy with no patrons being here,” he said. “It’s different. Not as many targets as we’re used to seeing off the tees. For me, not seeing a lot of friends and family, which is a lot of fun for me being able to catch up with people. I dreamed of playing in this my whole life, and not having friends and family is eerie.”

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Kisner expecting Augusta National to play 'long and difficult' - Charleston Post Courier
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