Kevin Na says about returning to the PGA Tour: “We’ll see how it goes.”
But he said he will not join LIV Golf again.
Na’s comments came ahead of the Asian Tour’s New Zealand Open this week, his first event since the longtime pro and LIV parted ways. Na has been team captain at the Saudi-backed circuit since the first event in 2022, but he told Golf Australia Magazine that he would not return in the future.
“I enjoyed it,” Na said of his time at LIV. “I loved it. It was a great product. I think it was a part of my life that I gave everything to while I was there.
“I’m happy to move on. Excited about my next chapter.”
Na’s departure from LIV was confirmed midway through last month, when the league said Byeong Hun An would become captain of Na’s former team, although Na was not mentioned in the press release and the reason for the split remains unclear. At the last event Na played, the PIF Saudi International event last November, Na wore LIV Golf gear and was featured in a LIV Golf press release.
A fortnight after An was named captain, the PGA Tour said Na’s PGA Tour membership had been reinstated following his departure in 2022, but it also said Na was facing “disciplinary action for outstanding regulatory violations” and that a return date would be given “if necessary.”
In the Golf Australia Magazine story, Na said that “it’s one step at a time” as we look toward a possible Tour return. The 42-year-old had played 458 events on the circuit, earning more than $37 million and winning five tournaments. With LIV, Na achieved five top 10 places and last season he finished 44th in the season rankings.
“Obviously the PGA Tour is a great place,” Na said Golf Australia Magazine.
“I really enjoyed my 19-year-old season there, and we’ll see how it goes.”
This week, Na accepted an invitation to play in the New Zealand Open, which features a field of 156 players and awards a place in the Open Championship. In the Golf Australia Magazine story, Na didn’t say where he would play next.
“I want to have some fun,” Na said Golf Australia Magazine. “I think sometimes we get caught up in performance and whatever other things are going on. I want to be that kid again. When you first start playing and traveling to different parts of the world, you’re excited. Maybe sometimes that goes away when you do this for a long time. But I know it’s still there.
“I’m really excited this week. I think I want to find that vibrant, exciting feeling again.”
Editor’s note: Click to read the full story from Golf Australia Magazine here.
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