Kenyon is an oracle when it comes to putting, and his understanding of the skill goes deeper than most ordinary golfers can comprehend.
So, when we got the opportunity to sit down with him for a chat at the opening of his new putting studio at Tee Box in London, we were keen to find out as much as we could about his experience on Tour.
Having seen his fair share of consequential putts, we were eager to know what the best putt he's ever seen is, and his answer took us a little by surprise.
He said:
"It’s tough to pick just one, but one in recent memory was when I was stood by the green and knew the significance of the putt, and that was Max Homa on the 18th at the Ryder Cup. I work with Max and I also work with Fitzpatrick, so I was stood on the green thinking this is a lose-lose situation.
"Max was a little uncomfortable on left to right putts at the time as he has a tendency to aim high, and good aim at the time was feeling a little low.
"And when you talk to Max about what was going through his mind at the time, he said he couldn't feel his legs and his hands were shaking. He was going to pick his point and commit to his aim, even if it felt low. He held it, and for him, at that time, he didn't want to be known as someone who was going to lose the Ryder Cup.
"Just being there right across from the green, the Ryder Cup is such a special atmosphere, and it was kind of a spine-tingling moment. There’s been various other moments, but there was something about that putt."
Having coached many of the best players in the world and gone behind the scenes to witness how their strokes are constructed, we were eager to find out precisely who Kenyon's favourite putter of all time was. Understandably, it was hard to pick just one, but his list was stacked with some truly great players.
"I’m a bit of a putting pervert, I look at all sorts of strokes and find something attractive about them.
"It’s a tricky one; I mean, there are guys that I admire that I haven't worked with, like, you know, I love watching Jason Day putt, he’s a great putter, and he’s intense. I love watching Tiger putt with his intensity and how quiet he is.
"Max Homa, who I just mentioned, his stroke is great; it’s so consistent that he’s particularly impressive. Fitzpatrick is a very natural putter, very little thought. So it’s difficult to pick one player."
Jason Day
While putting was obviously high on the agenda during our discussion, one of the biggest stories in golf equipment history was on the verge of breaking, so we were eager to find out what Kenyon thought about the universal ball rollback that is set to come into action in 2030.
He said:
"I mean, I think we’ve got to do something; I think we need to manage distance because guys are only going to get stronger. They’re going to optimise their technique more and more, so I think we have to temper something because there’s only so much real estate these courses can grow into, so we need to move the tees forward.
So if amateur golfers have to play a tee forward to help us protect the game, then I'm all for it. I have an open mind really, but I'm keen to give it a go and see how it goes."
It was fascinating being able to pick the brains of one of the most sought-after putting coaches in the world, and we can't wait to see what Kenyon has in store for 2024. With some of the best in the game on his books, it promises to be another stand-out season.
