Kevin Na, Maybe Golf's Most Underrated Player, Is Back to Defend His Title at Waialae
Kevin Na is not the longest guy on the PGA Tour, he’d be the first to tell you so. He was asked about it at the QBE Shootout last month, a tournament he partnered with Jason Kokrak to win.
Kokrak, by the way, is one of the longest hitters, which Na much appreciated, acknowledging, “It's nice when you play a scramble, pick up the ball and walk up 30 yards and drop it.”
Furthermore, Na’s not one the biggest guys on the PGA Tour, not in stature anyway. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 167 pounds in the PGA Tour press guide, which might be a little generous in both directions. And while we’re at it, Na is not one of the youngest guys on the circuit.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, he came to the U.S. at the age of 8, left high school and turned professional at 17, 21 years ago. He got his first PGA Tour card in 2004, 18 years ago. At age 38, he’s far from the career back nine, but he’s no spring chicken, poultry or plant-based.
Now, as we list some of the things Kevin Na isn’t, let’s be sure to consider some of the things he is. That is, after years of hanging tough and working hard, he is one of the most underrated members of the PGA Tour. Furthermore, over the past few months, he is one of the best.
“It was an incredible year,” Na said recently of 2021. “(It was) my best FedExCup finish ever. I had made it to the Tour Championship (before) and never really had any success at East Lake, but this year my game was right there. I was hot and I felt good.”
No, Na didn’t win the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday. But he closed out another solid performance, shooting four rounds in the 60s and finishing in a tie for 13th. He comes to Waialae Country Club in Honolulu as the reigning Sony Open champion, and he comes on a roll.
As noted, the surge got a boost with last year’s FedExCup finish. Na finished third at East Lake in September, five shots behind FedExCup winner Patrick Cantlay. Even more impressive, Na’s tally of 266 tied Jon Rahm for the 72-hole low during the week, and matched the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the championship.
Moreover, it was accomplished while dealing with some stressful emotions. Kurt Harms, the brother of Na’s long time caddie Kenny Harms, died unexpectedly the week before. “It was kind of difficult for us, especially for Kenny, but he was there for me for the playoffs and we felt like his brother was there throughout the playoffs,” Na explained. “That was one of the reasons why I played so well.”
There were other reasons. Na, the master of the “walk-in” putt and possessor of one of golf’s best short games, had it going before the Tour Championship. To wit: there was a tie for second at the St. Jude Classic in July, two shots behind Lucas Glover.
A few weeks later, following a T23 at the WGC FedEx St. Jude, Na was one of six to share the 72-hole lead at the close of the Wyndham Championship. Kevin Kisner cracked open the six pack and won with a birdie on the second playoff hole.
Nonetheless, Na’s near-miss momentum traveled to New Jersey, where he tied for eighth at the Northern Trust a week later. Then a T17 at the BMW Championship preceded his heat-seeking performance at East Lake, where he pushed Cantlay and runner-up Rahm for the big enchilada and played the last three rounds bogey-free.
“I couldn't have played any better,” Na said afterward. In fact, Na thought his flashy FedExCup run might lead to his first Ryder Cup berth. But Steve Stricker went a different direction with his captain’s picks.
"It’s disappointing,” Na said, upon learning his fate. “He has a tough job. I don’t take it personally. No one deserves anything. It’s a captain’s call. I respect his decision. Do I disagree? Yeah, I disagree. I just have to play better."
Frankly, that will be a difficult chore this week. Before we got ahead of ourselves, the roots of Na’s transformation from somewhat unknown to underrated took place one year ago this week in Honolulu.
Oddly enough, things didn’t start promising in 2021. A rib injury that would nag him throughout the year nearly caused Na to drop out of the Sony on Wednesday of tournament week. A few days later, he walloped it, coming from three back with six to play, getting up and down for birdie on the 72nd hole and holding off Chris Kirk and Joaquin Niemann for a one-shot victory. It took 369 starts for Na to get his first PGA Tour win — the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hospital for Children Open. He then waited almost eight years to get his second in 2018.
But the victory at last year’s Sony gave him his fourth consecutive season with a win. And months later, his performance at East Lake, which earned him a $4 million piece of that FedExCup pie, taught him a valuable lesson.
“No matter what golf course I play, if I'm on, I can play,” Na said.
As mentioned, by today’s standards, Na is not long. He finished 170th on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance last season, averaging 288.5 yards. Because of that, some golf courses in the professional rotation are going to be particularly challenging. And because of that, perhaps he will need to secure a Ryder Cup with points rather than picks.
But Na also was 35th on the Tour in Driving Accuracy last season, fourth in putts per round. He led the PGA Tour in strokes gained Around the Green for the third time, and his 0.702 mark was the highest in that category since Chris Riley (0.728 ) in 2009.
He made quite a nice living last year and as he goes for a repeat at Waialae Country Club this week, he is No. 29 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Point being, there are more ways than one to skin a golf course. When you have a surgeon’s touch and a gambler’s guts, you don’t have to be long to be dangerous.
Kevin Na might not blow your doors off, but he just might beat your brains in.