WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Two years ago, Kevin Kisner was playing the best golf of his career, with the exception of a single hole at the Greenbrier Classic.
He finished in a four-way tie during the 2015 Greenbrier Classic, shooting a final-round 64 to enter a playoff with Robert Streb, David Hearn and eventual winner Danny Lee. To start the playoff, they replayed the par-3 18th hole.
Kisner remembers a very forgettable effort. He flew the green, then took multiple whacks in trying to get out of the rough.
"I still don't think I finished that hole, did I?" he said Wednesday, with a chuckle. "I won't get that lie again this year, I can promise you, because they've changed all that.
"I think I whiffed it twice and then barely got out and then maybe I got it on the green and then decided to let everybody else have their turn."
Kisner has won twice on the PGA Tour and is inside the top 10 in the FedExCup point standings and the top 25 in the world. The next frontier is improving in major tournaments. He has made the cut in six straight majors, but has never finished higher than 18th.
He is trying to find a good pre-British Open routine. In a change of strategy, he is playing two weeks in a row before the Open, the Greenbrier Classic and the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities before heading across the Atlantic.
"I haven't figured out my style yet," he said. "I've only been playing in the majors for three years now. ... [I'm] still trying to figure out if I play better playing into them or taking a week off. I think in the future, I'll keep playing into them."
That's one factor in a top player choosing to play here or not. Another, as Kisner points out, is the resort and its family-friendliness.
"I've never seen so many kids and tour players in my life running around," he said. "I think it's more of a family week than golf week in some aspects. If you play well, it's an added bonus."
No, there isn't a cash payout to fans for a hole-in-one at the 18th hole this week, but the redesigned "thumb print" green has become a popular conversation piece.
In the pro-am Wednesday, the hole yielded its first ace, to James Fawcett of Hurricane. Playing with tour player Kyle Reifers and two other amateurs, Fawcett used an 8-iron to cover the 140 yards from the white tees.
The hole was placed in the middle of the "thumb print," a horseshoe-shaped ridge. With the hole placed inside the ridge, shots can be funneled toward the hole.
Just don't expect that location for four days. Or maybe not even one.
"I seriously doubt they're going to put it there," Kisner said. "It's been there for the last two days, so I imagine they would be tucking them right and left and back again on the tournament days."
Phil Mickelson and Kisner disagreed on which way the winning score will go. The average in the six previous Greenbrier Classics has been right at 15 under par, with the lowest being Stuart Appleby's 22 under in 2010.
One point of reference: The highest winning score, 10 under, came in 2011, after all 18 greens were reseeded with a different grass. The greens were not as receptive to approach shots, a condition that seems to be repeated so far this week.
Mickelson said the new greens will remain firm even if it rains all week. The root system will be mature by this time next year, so pros will be better able to get backspin on their approaches.
"When the greens are firm and you're not able to fly the ball to the hole and stop it, it makes it difficult to get to those small sections and make birdies," he said. "So I don't see that. If I were to pick a winning score, it looks like 9 to 12 under would be my guess.
Kisner sees it different.
"I think [the winning score] could be lower," he said. "I don't think the changes made it any harder, and the greens are absolutely perfect."
The threesome of Mickelson, Bubba Watson and defending champion Danny Lee is the marquee pairing for the first two rounds. They tee off at 1 p.m. Thursday from the first tee.
Other notable threesomes:
n 8 a.m. (from 10th tee) - 2013 champ Jonas Blixt, Patrick Reed, Charles Howell III: Howell lost a playoff in last week's tour event in Maryland.
n 8 a.m. (from first tee) - Davis Love III, Robert Streb, K.J. Choi: Two veterans with a combined 29 victories paired with Streb, the man who putted his way into the 2015 Classic playoff with his sand wedge.
n 12:50 p.m. (first tee) - Kisner, Si Woo Kim, Mackenzie Hughes: All three are winners this season, with Kim winning the Players Championship.
n 1:50 p.m. (first tee): Sam Saunders, Sebastian Munoz, Christian Brand: Saunders is the grandson of Arnold Palmer; Brand is the Capital High and Marshall graduate playing on the Web.com Tour.
With Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the pro-am, the conversation swung from golf to football several times. He enjoys the state of West Virginia, though he doesn't have fond memories of playing the Mountaineers. (He was 0-2 while playing for Pittsburgh.)
Fitzgerald also shared his thoughts on Cardinals quarterback coach Byron Leftwich, the Marshall legend.
"Having Coach Leftwich now as our quarterback coach has been unbelievable," Fitzgerald said. "To see how intelligent he is and how well he relates to the players and can communicate and really get his point across has been a real blessing.
"He helped us out a lot last year, and now in an increased role, I think he is going to do even bigger things for us."
Fitzgerald's brother, former Herd receiver Marcus Fitzgerald, is living in Arizona and doing well in the pharmaceutical business.
Contact Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsmock@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @dougsmock and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/dougsmock/.