Speedy? Na. Classy? Ya.
Kevin Na bared his soul to the media and the world after Saturday’s third round of The Players Championship, candidly speaking about the demons he’s been battling for quite a long time.
As the 54-hole leader at the PGA Tour’s marquee event, Na received more television time than perhaps ever before, putting a massive spotlight on his bizarre pre-shot routine, which includes multiple waggles (he has to do everything in pairs) and whiffs (he’s not stroked because he doesn’t intend to hit the ball). He also backs-offs after setting up countless times. It’s painful and grueling. For him, too.
He knows he’s slow. He knows it’s wearisome to watch. Believe it or not — it’s even more agonizing for him than it is for his playing partners, fans and viewers. Imagine thousands of people ogling at you like a freak show, while you’re playing what’s a very difficult game at the highest level for millions of bucks under more pressure than the average person has ever experienced. It’s not easy.
On Sunday in the final round, Na made a concerted effort to play as fast as possible, out of courtesy for his fellow competitor and eventual champion Matt Kuchar. Beginning with the opening tee shot, Na looked almost rushed and nervous — with his eyes practically bulging out of his head. Though he backed off and waggled six to — I don’t know, I lost track — however many times, he tried to make up for the time by practically running in between shots.
Na struggled from the get-go, probably because he was more focused on trying to keep up the pace of play and perhaps a little self-conscious due to the peanut gallery than he was at closing out to win the tournament.
“Honestly, my main thought was trying to play fast,” Na told reporters after carding a disappointing final-round 76 to place T7. “I know the whole world is watching. I’m trying to play as fast as I could. I was 40 yards ahead of Matt basically trying to sprint out to my ball so I can get extra time.
“It wasn’t until the back nine that Matt and I slowed down and started talking because we got behind and I just started letting my caddie run up and get the yardage and started walking slow, and I started talking to Matt, and Matt goes, ‘Yeah, I haven’t been able to talk to you.’”
Na told Matt he was trying to help him out by playing as fast as possible and running up to his ball. Kuchar was aware and said he told his caddie Lance Bennett that he appreciated Na’s effort to help his fellow competitor and not slow him down.
“That was a nice thing for Matt to say to me,” said Na, looking genuinely appreciative.
However, some fans in the gallery weren’t quite as understanding or sympathetic. He could hear mumblings and heckles from the crowd.
“I don’t want to say upset, but that was a little disappointed at the crowd,” said Na, who looked like he was holding back emotions. “Like I said, most of the people were great, but there’s always some hecklers out there, like I was getting ready to get over the ball and you can just hear them saying, hit it, and I just got over the ball.
“And I backed off and they’re booing me. I said, look, guys I backed off because of you guys. It’s not like I backed off because I couldn’t pull the trigger.”
This was the first time Na had experienced this kind of heckling. The saddest part was he thought it was warranted.
“Honestly part of it, I deserve it,” he said. “I mean, I’m being honest. But is it fair? No. You put an average guy in between those ropes, trust me, they won’t even pull it back.”
Fair enough, but shame on the hecklers. At the same time, there were more supporters than haters and Na appreciated hearing their support.
This week might have been the wake-up call Na needed to finally make a serious concerted effort to revamp his routine and play faster.
“I’m going to try to take out the whole waggle, no waggle,” said Na, with conviction. “I’m going to try to do a little up‑and‑down behind the ball, but it’s going to take time, practice and tournaments, and I’m going to try to take out the whole waggle.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a battle.”
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Sounds like a plan Kevin. Get your act together pls. I thought it was ridiculous how this has been turned around into some sort of “disability” just because he was honest and frank about it. Its irritating to other players and bad for the games TV presentation. Just fix it.
Kevin Na ….massive respect for the man, devent honest bloke making it by living the dream, more pressure people put on him the worst he will get. Give rhe guyba break. Paul uk
I’m all over WUP about this…cuz it’s like a serious passion about slow play and how much I hate it. Seriously, work it out on the range to have a routine that’s fast and encourages you to finish the round quickly.
I have zero sympathy or empathy for Kevin Na..he deserves worse than what he’s received. When I reach
the 4:30 mark at any Golf course… I straight walk off the course.
I can’t watch Kevin Na..it’s way to painful. Fix it dude.. of go do something else!
Apologies if I seem harsh. I got Kids and a Business to run. I refuse to be on Golf course for 5 hours.. I’d like to think many feel the same!!
OK you are making progress! So you got it right that Matt lives on St. Simons, just as do all the other tour players including Davis Love.
Now for the next step, there is no apostrophe in St. Simons!
GMoore, WTF are you talking about. Kevin and Zach played in 4hrs 11mins yesterday and today he and Matt were about the same.
Oops, wrong thread!
GMoore, easy solution for you, turn off your TV and take your kids outside for some exercise!
Na should quit golf and start a PR firm. Look at the spin he’s got people putting on this. I’ve already read a half-dozen sympathetic articles. It’s great that he’s working on it, but this is a problem of his own creation, and he’s lucky golf is one of the few sports where you can just stand there until you’re ready.
Nobody likes a jerk yelling at golfers. But I think Kevin still needs some more perspective. He’s an entertainer, playing a game for millions of dollars of someone else’s money. Ask baseball players about abusive, drunk fans yelling at them, while they’re trying to work. They get over it. For all his abuse, Kevin Na goes home with $296,083.33 for his weekend’s work. To say that the “average guy” couldn’t put up with the pressure he faces is an insult to golf fans who work every day for a living. Pressure isn’t having to hit a golf ball in front of fans and TV cameras. Pressure is trying to pay rent when you’re out of work. Or maybe playing golf with $300K of your own money on the line.
I kind of doubt you have experience with any of those three scenarios.
The rent one is about the only one I can relate to with experience. So yeah, point taken. Having the talent of Kevin or the wallet of Warren Buffett will likely stay beyond my reach.
I’m not trying to belittle the pressure of playing on a big stage. And he’s got some serious game once he gets the club in motion. But for him to claim that the average person couldn’t pull the club back because of all the pressure is ridiculous as well. If you put an average guy inside the ropes he might bean a few people and fly a few into the hospitality tent but if you held out 300 Grr you’d have a line of folks who would have no problem “pulling it back.” Kudos to Kevin for being honest about his problem. But ripping “average people” isn’t impressive or classy.
I love how a four hour round by a twosome is being touted as some sort of accomplishment. I realize that it is different in a tournament, having playing tournament golf when I was a kid. However, we should not be applauding a twosome for finishing in four hours. The tour should be shooting for 3.5 hours max rounds on the weekend. On an empty course, I can play 18 in and hour and forty-five minutes walking, there’s no reason that the tour as a whole can’t pick up the pace.
Each additional stroke is (at least) tens of thousands of dollars in prize money for tour professionals.
It behooves them to take their time – everyone would do the same if put in their position.
Agreed. This idea that “ohh I play my local venue in 3.5 hours!” or “I played tourney golf as a kid and WE were fast!” is stupid. These guys are on the PGA, they’re not goofing off, and they need to take their time–no, they need to do what they need to do.
I don’t get the slow play thing from TV, they can (and do) easily cut in and out of a player so who cares? OMG you had to watch Na take 5 seconds longer to hit the ball than the other guy!! SPEED UP THE TELECAST!! GET HIM OFF THE AIR!! KICK HIM OFF THE TOUR!!!! I’M GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK!!
You don’t see every step a player makes (except when Tiger is in contention), so what’s the big deal?
Other players don’t seem to mind Na’s routing (see, Zach Johnson’s comments), so I’m cool with it. Is it the best possible solution for his game? He seems to think no, so hopefully he can work it out.
My point about playing tournament golf as a teenager was only to point out that I have experience with the pressure of tournament golf, not to imply that we played fast or slow. Professional or not, money on the line or not, a four or four and a half hour round for a twosome is unacceptable. College matches routinely go over five and six hours, and there is no money on the line there. Whether it affects my viewing of the tournament or not is a moot point. Slow play is an epidemic, and the tour guys set the example for everyone else to follow. And regardless of what Na’s fellow pros say in public (and Zach is a class act and wouldn’t expect him to say anything negative), I GUARANTEE you that it drives them crazy.
Well like I said, my concern is the effect it may or may not have on Na himself.
Since everyone likes to mention their own experience, how many casual amateurs go out and have to stick through 6-7 hour rounds on their local city course? I know I have. It should not affect your golf. And if it does, I’ll bet if you learn to deal with it, you’ll knock at least 5 strokes off your game.
So I GUARANTEE back that every pro is focused enough to deal with Na or J.B. or whoever and can handle their presence. If it is outraging other professionals, they need to harden up and cope and play golf.
If it is not an issue, then why does the tour have pace of play rules at all? If everyone should just suck it up, then why haven’t the players pushed to have the rules changed? While we’re at it, let’s remove the time limit on looking for lost balls. The pros can comb through the bushes looking for a ball for as long as they want. If the other players have a problem with it, they just need to suck it up.
They have pace rules for TV, it allows rounds to finish on time, so the networks finish by 6pm or whenever.
It’s just not as simple as you’re making it out, as slow play = terrible for everyone.
The last two weeks we have seen heckling and ball thievery. Soon Vince McMahon will be looking for a piece of the action.
Seriously, what is it with these damn pro golfers taking too much time doing their job.
Hell, I’m a lawyer, and I know exactly how long it should take me to write a memo of law. If I’m 2 minutes over that, I stop where I am and just send it to the court. My surgeon is the same way. I sort of wish he’d stitched me up all the way, but that’s a small price to pay for being speedy.
Your point is stupid. Golf is a game. Just because they make money doing it doesn’t mean it’s comparable to being a lawyer or doctor.
And there is a big difference between taking your time and being precise with your craft vs. playing slow because you have to waggle in pairs or have your caddy line you up.
I bet you I.K. Kim wished she had taken her time.
The bottom line is they are trying to maximize their edge and minimize mistakes that are within their control.
Golf has become this way because there are big stakes on the line (i.e. $$$$)
IK Kim did take her time. Just missed the putt.
Slow golf=boring golf=less television revenue.
Waggling umpteen times does NOT minimize any mistakes.
I loved that response D_H. Not sure what kind of law you practice but if I ever need that kind of legal advice I am calling you.
RandyWatson,
Thanks. I appreciate the thoughtful response, and I’m eager to work with you on whatever legal issue you may have. My practice is limi
Conceptually, I have no problem with Na’s pre-shot routine. He is playing at the highest level for ridiculous amounts of money. If he needs to waggle in pairs in order to properly commit to a shot, then so be it.
In reality, however, some 25 handicap clown at my home course will start to emulate Na. He’ll take 7 practice swings, then waggle 16 times, and dump his ball 45* right, directly into the lumberyard. He’ll re-tee, go through the same insane routine, and top it to the ladies tee. And thus the urge to kill begins to rise…
Do you really think some clown at your home course it going to emulate Kevin Na? If so, then the I guess you must be a member of Krusty’s Kwality Kourse!
Get real! I really can’t imagine anyone watching TV, and out of all the players to emulate, they pick Kevin Na (much better swing than Tiger Woods or Luke Donald). But then again . . .
Considering I routinely see local hacks plum-bobbing putts, hiking up their left shirt sleeves when teeing off, and emulating countless other behaviors popularized by tour pros, it is not out of the question.
Great to hear Kevin Na is going to work on his routine, it’s shows a lot of class. It’s great to admit you have a problem and even better when you decide to do something about it.
I agree. What else can he do other than work on it. He owns the problem and is trying to fix it.
I’ll bet that any commenter on this thread who’s been dismissing Na’s problem and telling him to “just do it” … has never experienced mental illness. It sounds like Steph’s armchair diagnosis of OCD could be right. As a piece of advice, “just do it” only makes sense once you know how to just do it. Trust me on this.
Na is going to burnout if he can’t settle himself and club quicker. He should try hypnosis.
For perspective, take a look at Tom Watson’s chip-in on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach in the ’82 Open. Elapsed time from pulling his club to hitting the shot to win the Open: 20 seconds.