Kevin Kisner and Duane Bock were more than just a player-caddie duo. They were loyal partners for 14 years, and often “squabbled like an old married couple.” Kisner jokingly believes he personally raised Bock’s kids. “He’s still one of my best friends and we talk all the time,” Kisner shared with Golfweek ahead of the 2025 RSM Classic, where he is making his last exempted start of the season. Too much is at stake there, and for this, Kisner needed someone he knew.

The RSM Classic ’15 was Kisner’s first PGA Tour win, and it was with Bock on his bag. So, a decade later, when he had to make a vital start again, Kisner knew he wanted Duane. The partnership for the week came around when the golfer asked the looper if his new boss, Sepp Straka, was planning to play at the RSM Classic. Bock assured him Straka wasn’t going to participate, as he is still on his extended break to be with his family after Straka’s wife gave birth to their second son prematurely.

This is how the duo has gotten together for the 15th RSM Classic, offering $7 million, taking place from November 20-23 at Sea Island Resort. The stakes are exponentially higher as the PGA Tour has cut its “full exempt status” list from 125 players to 100.  Kisner arrives at Sea Island ranked 194th and playing on a one-time PGA Tour career money list exemption for being ranked in the top 50 on the all-time career money list. He missed the cut in 13 of his 16 starts this year. And the only good finish for the 41-year-old came when he finished T-8 at the Isco Championship.

So, he needs to win this week to secure a spot in the top 100 players who will ensure full-time jobs next year. Any other result means he loses his spot and becomes a “Past Champion”. Kisner knows what he needs to do coming week, but given the scenario, he knows it isn’t going to be easy.

This year, a left shoulder and neck injury forced him to step away for the spring. He missed the entire six-tournament FedExCup Fall and barely swung a club and played just four rounds of golf since the Wyndham Championship in August. But just as his career seemed over, “Kiz” started to feel better.

He did lose a playoff at the RSM Classic in 2020. And now this upcoming week will decide Kisner’s entire future. But he is surprisingly calm about this career cliff-edge. When asked if this is his “swan song,” he just says his status is “TBD”—to be determined.

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Kevin Kisner has a plan B that looks a lot like an A-plus

Win or lose, Kisner’s future is secure. He has landed a huge new media job. He is the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports. Kisner calls it his first real job he’s ever had that has a steady paycheck. “I enjoy still being relevant in the game, hanging out with my buddies and providing insight that (the viewer) probably doesn’t get just based on how close I am to the guys and how I’m still competing at tournaments,” Kisner said. He is contracted for 10 big events last year. This includes majors like the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

His TV work is not his only other gig. Kisner is also a star in the new TGL. This is the tech-infused league started by Tiger Woods, where Kisner plays on Tiger’s own team, Jupiter Links GC. And in case the upcoming RSM Classic is not the end, Kisner will obviously limit his playing, but he will play in the TGL, so he can “provide all the laughable moments for ESPN again.”

Kisner is not the only one feeling the heat at the RSM Classic. Several famous names are in the same boat as Kisner. Matt Kuchar sits at 113th in the standings. Joel Dahmen is at 117th. Both players will face a win-or-go-home situation just like Kisner. And the real drama is around the 100th spot. Karl Vilips currently holds that final golden ticket. But Matt Wallace (No. 102) is right behind him. Wallace needs a strong finish to jump inside the line.

So, at the end, Kisner’s gamble is a pure sports drama. He is a four-time Tour winner– he won the 2019 WGC-Match Play, and famously won a six-man playoff at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. He was a rock on two winning U.S. Presidents Cup teams. But this week, none of that matters. This time, he is a man facing his professional future, and he chose to take one last, defiant shot at glory. Win or lose, he is doing it his way.