Why did Kevin Na withdraw from 2023 Masters? – Kevin Sangwook Na is a Korean American professional golfer who was born on September 15, 1983, in Seoul, South Korea.
He moved to the United States with his family when he was eight years old and settled in southern California. Na left Diamond Bar High School after his junior year to play professional golf at the age of 17.
Kevin Na began his professional golfing career by playing on the Asian Tour, winning the 2002 Volvo Masters of Asia, the European Tour, and the PGA Tour. He earned his PGA Tour card for the 2004 season and finished third at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic and fourth at the Honda Classic. In 2005, he finished second at the FBR Open and Chrysler Classic of Tucson, and in 2006, he missed six months due to a hand injury. However, he won the Mark Christopher Charity Classic in his first start back, which was a rehab start on the Nationwide Tour.
Na played on the PGA Tour in 2007 via a medical extension and finished fourth at the Verizon Heritage. In 2008, he was fourth at the FBR Open and Sony Open in Hawaii. In 2009, he finished third at the Players Championship and the FBR Open, fifth at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Mayakoba Golf Classic, and Reno-Tahoe Open. He ranked 19th on the money list with nine top-10 finishes and 14 top-25 finishes, securing his entry to the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open in 2010 for the first time.
During the 2010 season, Kelvin Na finished second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and third at the BMW Championship, placing 37th in season earnings. In February 2011, Na was in contention to win his first PGA Tour title at the Northern Trust Open. However, he ended up finishing third, behind eventual winner Aaron Baddeley and Vijay Singh, after a run of four bogeys in the first ten holes.
On April 14, 2011, Na made a 16 on the ninth hole at the Valero Texas Open, the worst ever par-4 hole on the PGA Tour since the tour began recording hole-by-hole scores in 1983. He needed extra shots after an unplayable lie from his tee shot and was then given a two-stroke penalty after his ball hit a tree and rebounded back onto him. Na ended up shooting an eight-over-par round of 80, which saw him shoot four-under for his other 17 holes.
In August 2011, Na finished tenth at the PGA Championship and fifth at the Bob Hope Classic and Wells Fargo Championship. On October 1, 2011, Na earned his first PGA Tour victory at the 211th attempt, having been on tour for eight years. He shot a final round 65 with birdies at 15, 16, and 17 to win by two strokes from Nick Watney and earn $792,000 in prize money. Na also broke the tournament scoring record of 21-under par when he finished the week at 23-under par. This victory earned Na a two-year exemption on tour, and he ranked 30th in season earnings.
During the 2012 PGA Tour season, Kevin Na achieved impressive results in several major tournaments, including finishing fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, fifth at the Phoenix Open and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, seventh at the Players Championship, and 12th at the Masters Tournament.
However, Kevin Na’s success was short-lived due to a back injury that limited him to only eight starts in the early months of 2013. After undergoing rehabilitation, he made a comeback in October, finishing third at the Frys.com Open, his first PGA Tour start since April. Despite being given 18 starts on a medical extension, Na needed only seven to remain on the PGA Tour.
In 2014, Kevin Na continued his strong performances, finishing second at the Memorial Tournament and Valspar Championship, third at the Frys.com Open, fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, ninth at The Barclays, and 12th at the U.S. Open. He finished the season in 20th place in earnings.
Kevin Na’s luck wasn’t always on his side, as seen in the 2016 PGA Tour season opener at the Frys.com Open, where he lost in a sudden-death playoff to Emiliano Grillo after hitting his second shot to the par-five 18th off-line and getting trapped behind a tree, resulting in a bogey. However, he managed to redeem himself with a seventh-place finish at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, marking his best finish in 24 major championship appearances.
Kevin Na’s fortunes changed in 2018 when he won his second PGA Tour event, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, with an impressive score of -19. He won his third PGA Tour title at the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2019, finishing four shots ahead of Tony Finau after a brilliant performance that included a second-round score of 62 and a final round of 66.
Kevin Na continued his winning streak, claiming his fourth PGA Tour title in October 2019 after winning the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas on the second sudden-death playoff hole against Patrick Cantlay.
Kevin Na’s most recent victory came in January 2021 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he made a remarkable comeback from three strokes behind with six holes to play to win by one stroke. In August of the same year, Na tied for the lead after 72 holes with five other players at the Wyndham Championship, but Kevin Kisner ultimately won in the playoff.
In September 2021, Kevin Na finished third at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, earning him a $4,000,000 prize in the season-long FedEx Cup. However, in June 2022, Na announced his resignation from the PGA Tour and his decision to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Why did Kevin Na withdraw from 2023 Masters?
As per an official release by Masters, Kevin Na, who is a member of LIV Golf, withdrew from the tournament citing illness. Na had already made 11 appearances at Augusta National and this would have been his 12th.
The golfer had been in impressive form at the Masters in recent years, finishing in the top 15 of the tournament in each of his last three appearances. Na was expected to be a strong contender at the tournament and his withdrawal would have been disappointing for fans who were looking forward to watching him compete.
Nonetheless, it is important for players to prioritize their health and take necessary measures to recover quickly. Na’s decision to withdraw from the tournament would have been made with the intention of ensuring he is fit and ready to compete in upcoming events.
Source: www.ghgossip.com
