Kevin Kisner doubles down on Rory McIlroy claim: "Nobody wants to be honest"

Kevin Kisner says his rant about Rory McIlroy was blown out of proportion but insists the Northern Irishman wouldn't have played in India last week if he wasn't paid a dime.

The former US Ryder Cup vice captain took aim at McIlroy in the build-up to the DP World India Championship, accusing the Northern Irishman of making a "dog---- comment" about his motivations for playing in Delhi. 

But Kisner, 42, stressed on the latest episode of the Fore Play podcast that his criticism had been blown way out of proportion, with little attention paid to the fact that he would have done the same.

"Was it really an evisceration, though?" Kisner asked his co-hosts. 

"I feel like it's more of every other media company in the world taking whatever could be controversial, putting their own little quotations around whatever my rant was, and then clipping it and putting it all over their social programs.

"If you actually listen to the whole rant, it's basically like, 'Yeah, I would go too.' 

"My point was just, you know, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, and Rory McIlroy don't just suddenly show up in India on the DP World Tour. It just doesn’t happen".

Kisner continued: "I mean, Rory doesn't even show up to Harbour Town [RBC Heritage] for 20 million bucks, pretty close to home. 

"There's a reason why these guys are going, and I don't hate them for it. 

"I just think it's fascinating that nobody wants to be honest with the world, right?

"It's like, yeah, I'm all for you growing the game too, Rory. 

"I think it's great that we get more people in India to play golf. 

"But if it was zero dollars, you're not showing up there. 

"You didn't show up the last 16 years. Why, suddenly, is India great?"

Kisner makes bold Jon Rahm prediction

Elsewhere, Kisner believes PGA Tour chief executive, Brian Rolapp, will stick to his guns and make Jon Rahm serve a one-year suspension before returning to the North American circuit. 

Rahm's next move has become a major talking point after the Spaniard decided not to be a part of LIV's new era. 

Court docs reveal the two-time major champ is leaving millions on the table to quit the breakaway tour. 

Rahm had the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour in January through a returning-member programme that had facilitated Brooks Koepka’s return, but rejected the proposal.

Rolapp has stressed that there are no plans to roll out a similar programme as the mass exodus from LIV gathers pace. 

Kisner said: "I had this discussion at lunch today with some fellow tour players I played with this morning, and everyone's all over the place on it. Nobody really knows.

"My personal stance is Rolapp's going to stick to his guns and be like: 'I gave you an opportunity to come back. I gave you a pathway in the off-season. You elected not to take it. Now go earn your way back onto our tour.'"