Day: October 2, 2019

Kevin Na’s optimism helping new generation of starsKevin Na’s optimism helping new generation of stars

LAS VEGAS – It takes a special type of human to get the yips and come out on the other side with a bright smile. “I’ve always been told I was special growing up,â€� Kevin Na said with a laugh. The laugh is contagious. As is the smile. If you didn’t know him you would never guess this was the guy who for a lengthy part of his career couldn’t pull the trigger on his driver. Or the guy who had a 16 on one hole during the 2011 Valero Texas Open. Or the guy who copped vitriol for being too slow on the course. Having played PGA TOUR events since 2001, Na has seen a lot in this game. The above could have easily sent him into a deep state of depression. And while he admits there have been tough moments, the 36-year-old Na made a decision to always search for positives. His natural humor helps. It is why we see things like him walking in putts, which has become a social media sensation. It is why he went back out to TPC San Antonio with a chainsaw to cut down some trees. It is why he set a speed record during the 2016 TOUR Championship, playing alone as he ran around East Lake in under two hours. And it is why he has three wins on the PGA TOUR, the first coming here in Las Vegas (where he resides) at the 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. “I’m not afraid to make fun of myself. Some of these things, you have to be able to own up to it,â€� Na says. “Making a 16, it can happen to anybody. I’ve had the yips. … that can also happen to anybody. Because I have been so open about it, I think a lot of people have come to me asking for advice and I love trying to help people where I can. “It’s important that you are not a person that digs a hole of negativity that you ultimately struggle to get out of. Be open about things. Talk about it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. “Golf is a marathon. I want to play as long as I can. I want to play PGA TOUR Champions. And golf is like life. You are always trying to get better and always trying to improve. If you make a mistake, apologize if you need to, learn from it and try to be better next time. I’ve tried to follow that mindset.â€� And now that decision to focus on resilience and positive thinking is paying off for others. As the Korean influence grows on the PGA TOUR, Na has made sure he is available as a sounding board. Korean culture brings an ethos of hard work and dedication to your craft – something Na advocates – but he particularly has become the man to go to to talk culture shock. And to understand that fun, and humor, has a place in the game also. You constantly see Na out in practice rounds with the Korean players doing his best to widen their vision outside just the serious side of the sport. “I want to help the young Korean kids and Korean Americans with the culture differences. I understand all of that and I enjoy trying to give back,â€� Na says. “I like having a happy, bubbly personality. When I play golf, it is game time and you get serious but at the same time I always try to look at the glass half full. “There might be a little trash talk here and there. I’m willing to take it and willing to give it. The Korean culture can obviously be different. I’ve had some friends saying, “Oh my god, did he just say that?â€� But I’ve always liked to laugh and I am very talkative. I’m working and trying hard out there but I like to enjoy myself at the same time. And I like others around me to be having a good time also.â€� Doug Ghim, a rookie this season, saw it firsthand at the season opening A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier – another tournament Na previously won. After humbly asking for a practice round, Na kept the rookie guessing with a few maybes despite always intending to do it. Then when they hit the first tee, Na smacked his golf bag in Ghim’s opening backswing and stared him down. “Welcome to the TOUR,â€� he said to a stunned Ghim before breaking into his laugh. It was the start of what is becoming another new friendship. You’d be hard pressed to find a Korean player on TOUR who Na hasn’t reached out to. And of course his special brand of advice and humor is not limited to one country. Na isn’t afraid to be himself around anyone and it becomes infectious. Seeing Tiger Woods and then Tony Romo mimic his putting with huge smiles on their faces at times this year is proof he has a positive effect on just about anybody. And he plans for that to continue. “We get one life. Let’s make it a fun one,â€� he says. Let’s.

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Quick look at the Shriners Hospitals for Children OpenQuick look at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

The fourth week of the new PGA TOUR season brings us the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at 7,225-yard, par-71 TPC Summerlin, where Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion. World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, a seven-time TOUR winner, will begin his season as he and his fellow 20-somethings look to continue their run of three straight tournament titles. Sebastian Muñoz (Sanderson Farms Championship), Cameron Champ (Safeway Open) and Joaquin Niemann (A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier) make up the top three in the FedExCup, respectively, and the oldest among them is Muñoz, 26. (Koepka is 29.) THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER THE FLYOVER The 341-yard, par-4 15th hole is one of the most exciting on the course, as the longer hitters can drive the elevated green, which is long, narrow and surrounded by bunkers. Desert runs down the entire left side of the hole, but it’s mostly defenseless otherwise. Players averaged 3.585 strokes there last year, racking eight eagles and 191 birdies compared to just 30 bogeys and three double-bogeys. The hole begins a stretch of the four best viewing holes at TPC Summerlin.    LANDING ZONE The 444-yard, par-4 18th hole is no pushover, especially not with the nerves that go along with trying to win. It’s long and slightly uphill, demanding a forced carry over a wash off the tee. The green is deep but protected by a lake to the left that has seen its share of golf balls. Players made 16 double-bogeys at the finishing hole last year to go along with three dreaded “others� and 43 bogeys. There were also 77 birdies. WEATHER CHECK From meteorologist Kyle Koval: “A quiet week of weather is likely for Las Vegas with no notable weather systems tracking anywhere near the region. Temperatures will gradually warm from the lower 80s Wednesday to near 90 degrees this weekend. Thursday and Friday have the best potential for any elevated winds with gusts over 15 mph possible. Winds look rather light for the weekend.� For the latest weather news from TPC Summerlin, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK At some point I just have to kind of give it a try. BY THE NUMBERS 1 – Number of players to win the Shriners in title defense. Jim Furyk won in 1995, ’98 and ’99. 7 – Largest come-from-behind victory, by Smylie Kaufman in 2015. 17 – Shriners aces since 2000, most recently by Chris Stroud and Joaquin Niemann last year. 102 – Bunkers on the course. SCATTERSHOTS DeLaet cautiously optimistic for comeback: Graham DeLaet, 37, still has the beard, but while he looks like the same guy, he’s coming off a nearly two-year injury layoff after a stem-cell injection and a second microdiscectomy on his back. His comeback plans have changed a few times, but he’ll give it a go at the Shriners. “You never know until you’re out here,� he told the Toronto Sun. “I’ve shot some good rounds at home with the boys, but it’s different out here and so I’m interested to see what happens, in all honesty.� DeLaet was a member of the 2013 International Presidents Cup and represented Canada at the Olympics in 2016, but that was the last year in which he played a full season on TOUR. He’s playing on a major-medical exemption.  Hadwin eyes Presidents Cup pick: Adam Hadwin hasn’t given up on a Presidents Cup pick from International Captain Ernie Els. “Once the points were done and the team was set, I feel like it was an open ballgame,� Hadwin said at the Safeway Open, where his solo second was his best result since winning the 2017 Valspar Championship. “Obviously, he’s going to take into consideration your year and stuff like that, but I doubt that he’s afraid to go with the hot player, either. I believe that I’m a proven competitor, I’ve been there before. I know what to expect, I’ve played well in big situations. I certainly have some work to do to go out and prove myself before he’ll choose.�   Mickelson, Scott drop in: Phil Mickelson, whose Safeway start was marred by a quadruple-bogey 9 in the first round that led to a missed cut, will make his 13th start at the Shriners but first since 2005. The 49-year-old recently dropped 25-30 pounds and is playing more than usual this fall in hopes of getting a pick from U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Tiger Woods. Mickelson, a 44-time TOUR winner, has played on every U.S. Team, 12 in total, since 1994. Other potential American captain’s picks in Vegas include Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Charles Howell III and Brandt Snedeker. Adam Scott, meanwhile, is making his tournament debut despite having attended UNLV in 1999-2000.

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