Na-rcissism Takes Over The Players!
From Doug Ferguson's game story, which opened with talk of slow play instead of the tournament at hand: The Players, Presented By The First Tee!
Anyway, Kevin Na leads and those comments from Commissioner Denial look so funny after Saturday's debacle. (And the irony of doing this with notorious slow poke Zach Johnson is rather delicious.)
Kevin Na is slow to pull the trigger, and quick to make fun of himself.
In what made for painful viewing Saturday in The Players Championship -- for fans at the TPC Sawgrass and those watching from home -- Na took hundreds of waggles as he set up over the ball, backed off the shot if he didn't feel comfortable and a couple of times purposely missed so he could start over.
The only number that mattered was a 4-under 68, one of only three bogey-free rounds on a dangerous golf course. Backing off only once in the 18th fairway, he hit his approach to 15 feet for birdie and took a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar (69) going into the final round.
"There's so much on the line that I just have to sometimes back off," Na said. "Or I'll force myself to take it back, and on the way down I'll pull up and go over the top (of the ball). As ugly as it is, and as painful as it is, believe me, it's really tough for me. And I'm trying."
Shouldn't he be trying, oh I don't know, maybe at home? In practice? And not on a stage like The Players Presented By The First Tee?
Note the sarcasm in Garry Smits' Florida Times-Union game story.
"As ugly and painful as it is, believe me, it's really tough for me and I'm trying," said the native of South Korea and a naturalized U.S. citizen. "I get ripped a lot. I know TV, Twitter and fans are tired of me backing off. But bear with me — hopefully we get that [Sunday] round in."
If Na falters in the final round or somehow never finishes, there's a long list of contenders ready to add to a streak of five consecutive tournaments in which the Players champion came from behind on Sunday.
This guy makes Ben Crane look like a bullet train. On the sixth tee, for example, the tally for Na went thusly: five practice swings, 24 waggles, two back offs and one “Sorry, Zach.”
Na and playing competitor Zach Johnson were put on the clock on the 10th tee and taken off on the 17th tee. In between, Na got a bad time when hitting his second shot on No. 16. Two bad times in a round call for a one-stroke penalty, though the PGA Tour hands those out like man-hole covers.
Cameron Morfit notes that the media fell for Na's one-liners after the round:
Na may be slow, but he was quick to get the writers on his side. He’s clearly tortured by his problem, so much so that it would have surprised no one if he’d begun crying in the interview room. The laughter broke the tension.
“Just bear with me,” he said, “and hopefully we get that [Sunday] round in.”
Na and the writers cracked up. Get the round in? As hard as Sawgrass is, and the way Na is fighting himself, no one was taking it for granted.
The PGA Tour Censors Rightholders Protection Unit will be working overtime Sunday since the "waggle problem" was mentioned but left out of the third round highlight package. So just to help them get a head start on the censoring, I thought I'd post the best of the Na swing yips.
And...
And...
And my favorite, set to a most appropriate soundtrack...
Some of the comments from the NBC/Golf Channel gang were interesting.
First, from the telecast:
Dan Hicks: He is struggling, this is amazing.
Roger Maltbie: And then just rifles it in the center of the fairway.
Peter Jacobsen: That is just unbelievable.
Hicks: I don’t get it, I just don’t get it.
Johnny Miller: I feel bad for him. I mean really, it is embarrassing to him. It’s not like he wants to do this.
Huh? If he apologizes for it before the round to his playing partners, then he knows he's going to be doing it. And if he knows he is going to be engaging in conduct unbecoming of a professional, he should stay home. Na?
Brandel Chamblee: “We hear guys talking about needing swing coaches, sports psychologists, fitness instructors or changing managers. He needs an exorcist. I half expect winged bulls to fly out of his head when he is standing over a shot. I’m not sure if Sigmund Freud were alive he could figure this one out. But the fact is he hits marvelous shots. It is almost like all of the angst is unjustified.”
Frank Nobilo: “It is such an unusual rhythm and a round of golf. You feel for the guy doing it, but you want to say, ‘Come on, let’s just go,’ and the guy can’t move.”
Roger Maltbie: “It is so amazing to watch him struggle to get the club back from the ball and make a backswing. And then you will hear him yell at himself and all of a sudden he just stripes it. He hit so many good quality shots after having to call off the shot – so to speak – a number of times. I don’t know how he is doing it, I’ll be honest. It is amazing.”
Gary Koch: “I certainly can’t remember anything like it. Obviously you see players back off shots when they are uncomfortable but they tend go back to their pre-shot routine, whatever that may be. The interesting thing to me about Kevin Na was how he was able, in midstream, just get back over the ball and continually hit good shots. You would think the results would not be very good.”
Geoff
**Gene Wojciechowski's review:
The man who leads the so-called Fifth Major is harder to watch than a circumcision. At an IMAX theater.
Kevin Na plays slow. He plays so slow that his five o'clock shadow doesn't show up until midnight. Glaciers ask him for his autograph.
Did you see him Saturday during the third round of The Players Championship? He shot a 4-under-par 68, was one of only three players who didn't record a bogey and ended his day with a walk-in birdie on No. 18.
It was an amazing performance, mostly because I never thought I'd see Charles Barkley Jr. take a one-shot lead into the final day of this tournament.
To put it mildly, it’s painful watching Na play golf.
Fingernails-down-a-chalkboard annoying.
Reader Comments (44)
Hopefully, this will be taken seriously during the final round, and slow play penalty shots applied. Otherwise, the inmates will control the institution.
"If they penalize Na out of a title, they'll appear DELETE<cruel>INSTEAD: very sensible- conscious of how very stupid it looks and what an example it sets.
Given he's right in the mix for a win, the tour should give him a pass this time but be warned it will result in penalty shots in future, regardless of where he is in the field.
If Sergio can fix his address yips then I see no reason why Na's swing routine can't be re-educated with a bit of help eg hypnosis.
He certainly should stop the whiffing. Some of them were so violent as to almost look like a missed shot rather than just a whiff.
Although I'm sympathetic to the problems associated with this and the criticism it brings, my compassion goes only so far.
I would like to hear Kevin say he is seeing a sports psychologist or a hypnotist or someone who could possibly help.
If it is not a tournament or big-money situation, if there are no cameras, I wonder if the problem exists. My suspicion is yes.
I prefer to watch this type golf with an hour or so tape delay. It is fun to watch the machinations in fast forward. Commercials, waggles, prolonged caddy/tour official discussions, musings of Sir Nick can all be skipped through.
Kevin Na has clearly got something going on in his head and you're all saying impose penalties, fines, 'he's a disgrace' etc.
*Sarcasm* That's exactly the kind game I want to be associated with (and want people outside the sport want to see), a game that shuns/ostracises a player who manages to play at the top of the sport with a personal challenge. *Sarcasm*
If you've ever played with a player with a physical disability that means they have to take some time to 'set-up' for their shot you'd appreciate that sometimes getting round the course in 3.5 hours just isn't possible. As long as the player is polite and explains the situation then hey can't do any more.
If you're going to say that a physical disability is different to a mental disability then you belong back in the stone-age.
As for those of you who talk about hypnosis or sending him to a shrink: imagine the outrage if a golfer with tourettes syndrome made it onto your screen... would you tell them the same?
I think most of us, if we're honest, would admit that many shots are played out of fear, "this two-footer has got to go in or..."
They finished right behind the group I front in the end and took 4:10. How Come the rest took that long and nobody is complaining?
One bad time???
Where were the officials?
Probably hiding or crying to Timmy because they were afraid to assess a penalty.
Golf just moved yet another day closer to being completely unwatchable and positively irrelevant.
'Attacking' Kevin Na is just reinforcing the negative stereotype that golf is a game for a very specific kind of person.
I remember seeing him on TV when he was maybe 16 playing in the LA...err...Nissa...errr....AT RIVIERA and he appeared to step into the shot and pull the trigger with no problem. IMO it's entirely his fault if he let the pre-swing demons get to him over the years. Whether this is due to too many sessions with a swing "guru" or psychologist makes NO difference at all since EVERYBODY out there has/is going thru similar things.
As a professional he has an obligation to his fellow playing competitors to "get on with it" and play at a reasonable pace without being distracting to other players.
Btw - come again, Na? There's what, exactly, 'on the line'? You're already rich and you play golf for a living. This is only the 5th of 25 majors, so there's no pressure to win. Hell, just choke and let the 6 figure parachute guide you safely home at the end of the day. Rinse and repeat.
At least it's entertaining and active. It isn't just a guy taking his sweet time. I find it interesting. Mind you, I'm not paired with him going into a huge title on Sunday. This is the Players - the best non-major consolation prize in golf. All penalties would do his make it worse. Put him out there as a single! Hehe.
Johnson and Na were ten minutes quicker than the Woods pairing. That's the PGA Tour for you and it's not Na's fault. It's pro golf and I agree that it is wrong, but don't blame Na for 20 years of ineptitude from those who run it. The horse bolted a long time ago.
Ditto with metro18. Na and Johnson finished right behind the group in front of them. Slow, yes. But that's policy according to Tim.
Good luck to Na, who is obviously a tortured soul.
He's at address, doesn't move or change position, simply goes into his backswing and whiffs...how is anyone supposed to know that's a practice swing? I mean, it's probably a practice swing, but to me it's a risky move.
I hope he wins the FedUp Cup....icing on the cake.
Honestly, I like Kevin Na for many reasons. He faces the same demons that most amateurs face while playing this "Hard Game". He reminds me of myself when I cannot make the decision to, "pull the trigger". No matter what you say, he is a great example of, "us".
One more note, Tiger Woods has been seen many times getting mad at himself, yelling at himself and what you might want to call, "conduct unbecoming of a professional. In conclusion, get off your damn high horses and just enjoy the show.
It's just golf boys...make a decision, commit to it, and fire away. No one is curing cancer out there!
Would you care to provide some supporting documentation for: "Tiger has been warned more than any other player on tour." Just so we don't make the mistake of thinking that you're talking out of your ass.
Thanks.
Just sayin'
Why all the pitchforks this week?
Because of Finchem's stupid comments in the lead-up to the event?
Or something to do with Na?
Anyone know where to access those statistics? Pretty sure one of the magazines did a detailed study.