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Laurie Canter finished the 2025 DP World Tour season ranked 7th on the Race to Dubai rankings. This made him the first LIV golfer to earn a PGA Tour card. Although Canter decided to turn down the card and rejoin LIV, it raised an uncomfortable question hanging over men’s pro golf, which is what happens if the biggest names who left for LIV Golf want back in? Kevin Kisner didn’t tiptoe around the subject. Instead, he pointed straight at a punishment for LIV golfers who want to rejoin the PGA Tour.

“If the equity program that the tour has unveiled really takes off, then the guys who have made so much money in that can’t complain about the money that those guys took at LIV because now they’re owners of the PGA Tour, which these guys are not,” Kevin Kisner told Trey Wingo.

“So, maybe you tell them they can never be equity owners or never gain shares from their performance because of what they did, and they come right back. Just an idea to throw around. I think that would be a way to allow them back.”

Almost every elite golfer who has joined LIV Golf has signed contracts worth millions. For instance, Jon Rahm reportedly signed a $500 million deal to join the Saudi-backed league. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and others have also made million-dollar contracts. Many PGA Tour members have voiced their strong complaints about LIV Golf defectors receiving massive guaranteed payouts.

Golfers on the PGA Tour have highlighted the irrational spending. They argue that it tempts stars away and pressures the PGA Tour to boost purses dramatically. The prize money for PGA Tour events was around $800 million before LIV, but has now been boosted to $1 billion+ annually. Many PGA Tour members said that if defectors want to play in their events, they should pay fines, give up their LIV earnings, or donate them to charity.

The mounting financial pressure on the PGA Tour led Jay Monahan and other executives to create a new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. As part of this new entity, the PGA Tour introduced the Player Equity Program. The first-of-its-kind program allows close to 200 PGA Tour members to become equity holders.

The PGA Tour plans to distribute $930 million in initial PEP grants to 193 players across four groups. Around $750 million will go to 36 top performers, based on the recent FedExCup points, Majors, etc. Then another $75 million goes to 64 steady players, $30 million to 57 exempt members, and $75 million to legends like Jack Nicklaus. Equity vests over eight years, aligning player interests with Tour success and compensating those who rejected LIV offers, which Kevin Kisner proposes excluding from the returnees.

Kevin Kisner said that this situation may arise if LIV goes away. “The time gap I thought in my little brain in South Carolina said if LIV goes away in two years, doesn’t sustain, then Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau, they’re still going to be exiled on our tour,” Kisner said.

“They could probably pay a fine and still be right back to where they were. But now that time’s gone so far, like, what do you make them do? Do you tell Bryson DeChambeau to go to tour school and try to earn his way back? Or I don’t know. I’m not smart enough to figure it out.”

This may happen if Yasir Al-Rumayyan decides to dissolve LIV because of financial losses. LIV Golf’s UK entity reported £461.8 million ($590 million) losses in 2024. The cumulative deficits have been over £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion) since 2021. These losses were fueled by high player payouts despite modest revenues from events, sponsorships, and tickets. Although PIF has a lot of money to pour in, there might come a point where Al-Rumayyan would have to make a tough decision.

Kevin Kisner does have a point because not giving equity options to returnees will reward those who stayed loyal. He has a way of laying things out with blunt clarity, and that approach has now carried beyond the fairways. His straightforward commentary has become part of his identity. And that same unfiltered perspective has opened the door to a new chapter in golf media.

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Kevin Kisner’s role as NBC Sports’ golf analyst

Kevin Kisner was named NBC Sports’ lead golf analyst in December 2024. He succeeded Paul Azinger and Johnny Miller after a yearlong search involving trial stints by multiple analysts. The 4x PGA Tour winner debuted on NBC’s PGA Tour broadcasts in 2024 at events like the WM Phoenix Open, The Players Championship, and FedExCup Playoffs. He earned the permanent role due to his homespun South Carolina style and player insights.​

Kisner calls approximately 10 major events, including the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, The Players Championship, FedExCup Playoffs, and the 2025 Ryder Cup. He did this in partnership with lead announcer Dan Hicks, primarily on weekends. NBC accommodates his limited PGA Tour playing schedule via the top-50 career money exemption, with substitutes filling in during his starts.​

The NBC courtship began in December 2023. Kevin Kisner initially laughed off the offer during a casual call but adapted quickly, stressing on-air restraint like “knowing when not to talk” and preferring course-side over studio work. In statements, he expressed humility about following legends and excitement to deliver unfiltered analysis while competing.

Kevin Kisner’s stance on LIV returnees shows how confidently he tackles golf’s toughest debates. His presence in the booth ensures fans will keep hearing the same candid perspective that has defined his career.