The wait is finally over for American golfer Kevin Na. After an absence of winning a PGA Tour tournament that lasted seven years, Na finally broke the streak yesterday to win the Greenbrier Classic by five strokes.
The 34-year-old shot six-under 64 yesterday to claim his second PGA Tour title. Since his first win in 2011 at the Shriners Hospital Open, Na underwent 158 starts and had not won a single tournament.
“I failed so many times,” Na said. “I see the records on TV, most starts since winning. I’m always up there. It took me eight years to win my first title. I told friends it’s not going to take eight years to win the second one. It has taken seven.”
From Frailty to PGA Tour Winner
While Kevin Na has always been one of the most likable personalities on the Tour, he has battled personal demons that highlight the frailty of a golfer’s psyche. Notably, at the 2012 Players Championship, Na would take extended periods of time between shots, often going into and out of swinging position.
“It was slowly building, and it just erupted at the Players”, said Na. “Most of the guys who are going through the yips, you will never see it on TV because they’re usually missing the cut every week. But I was playing some of my best golf. My yips were different. It wasn’t like I was hitting it crooked or missing putts, it was just that I couldn’t take the club back.”
After getting his yips sorted out, Kevin has produced consistently solid golf over the years. Since winning in 2011, the American golfer has generated three top 10 finishes at tournaments, including a runner-up performance at this year’s Genesis Open, losing to Bubba Watson.
In May at the Fort Worth Invitational, Na shot a 61, tying the course record and ended up finishing fourth for the tournament. A win was due for a golfer that has sound fundamentals and playing ability. And it came this past weekend at the Greenbrier.
Kevin Na Dedicates Win to Korean Fans
Starting the day one behind, Na relied heavily on his putter to punch his ticket into the winner’s circle. In the final two rounds, he converted 271 feet of putts, including 23, 32 and 43 footers on Sunday. He made seven birdies in the final round and was first in putts per green in regulation and second in strokes gained/putting.
After the round, when the reality had sunk in that the tournament was his, Na become emotional, evidently moved by the magnitude of the victory.
He dedicated his win to his loved ones and Korean fans, who always were with him every step of the way.
“Obviously, a big confidence boost,” Na stated. “It’s nice to get that second trophy. I saw that trophy when I walked on the tee every day, it’s a beautiful trophy and I thought about how good it would look at home. But most importantly today I kept within myself, never got ahead of myself. Things were just happening and for some reason I felt like it was my day, maybe somebody up there looking out for me.”
Who knows what the future has in store for the American golfer. But Kevin can enjoy being victorious once again, which hopefully won’t be his last time doing so.
