Kevin Na ran away with the win at the Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Sunday. It marked a notable turnaround for one of the PGA TOUR’s most unfairly vilified players.
Kevin Na brought home his second PGA TOUR victory on Sunday, and had the winner’s green jacket draped over his shoulders. No, it wasn’t that green jacket, but it had to feel good nonetheless.
Na cruised to a comfortable victory at the Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, beating 54-hole co-leader Kelly Kraft by five strokes. As Na inched closer to the win, you could see the emotion start to pour out of him.
Two moments in particular stuck out. First, Na’s walk up the 18th hole, as he prepared to putt out for what was an all-but-certain win. CBS Sports had cameras alongside the leader, and Na actually engaged them, saying hi to his wife and daughter at home. That stood in stark contrast to many players, who would usually remain stoic until the final putt dropped.
The other moment came a short time after Na’s victory was sealed. As he spoke with CBS analyst Amanda Balionis, Na asked if he could say something in Korean to his fans overseas. He broke down in tears as he spoke, and the impact this win had on him was clear.
An emotional Kevin Na's message to his Korean fans pic.twitter.com/eT5TyiSkOi
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 8, 2018
He was thanking his fans in Korea, his brother, and his sponsors. Moreover, he spoke of how hard the journey to this point had been.
Can Kevin Na finally change his image to the fans?
It’s no secret that Na has been a bit of a punching bag over the years. He’s known as the poster boy for slow play on the PGA TOUR, a stigma he’s worked hard to shed. And while he hadn’t broken through for a victory since October of 2011, he really doesn’t get all the credit he deserves.
Na has been a consistent contender on TOUR for most of the last decade. He’s had five or more top-ten finishes in seven of the last ten years, and he’s qualified for the TOUR Championship in three of the last four.
More importantly, though, he’s well-liked and mostly well-respected by his colleagues in golf. Bubba Watson made a point to wait behind the 18th green on Sunday to be one of the first to congratulate him on the victory.
As Tiger Woods once said, winning fixes everything. I don’t think that Kevin Na will ever win any popularity contests from the fans, but he won’t always be the target of unfair criticism. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s a much better player than the general viewing public gives him credit for.
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Only time will tell, of course. For now, he’s riding high on one of the best streaks of his career. Here’s hoping that ride doesn’t stop any time soon.