Slow Play Tag Continues To Haunt Kevin Na But Has He Improved?
It seems whenever Kevin Na is in contention in a tournament, the focus is on his slow play. Ever since the 2012 Player’s Championship when he was so tied in knots mentally, he physically couldn’t take away the club on his backswing Na has been carrying the slow-coach moniker.
Other notable Na headlines included the Valero Texas Open 16 and this brilliant impression by Ryan Palmer.
At the Valspar Championship the slow play issue reared it’s ugly head again with Robert Garrigus’ caddie Brent Henley going so far as to say “It ain’t fair playing with Kevin Na†such were his tardy antics. The caddie blamed Na for getting their pairing put on the clock on Saturday and thus causing Garrigus’ 54 hole lead to be cut.
Being put on the clock on the PGA Tour is like talking in the library and the librarian putting her finger to her lips and saying “shhh.†Nothing will come of it.
Flashback: The Kevin Na Driver Whiff
Garrigus himself was paired again with Na in the final round and took a different tack to his caddie saying things like Na is a “lot faster now†and “I got a little out of my rhythm, but it didn’t bother me that much.â€
The reality about Kevin Na is as he says himself he’s a “ton†faster now, but the slow play tag may never be shook. Credit has to be given to Na for going away and teasing out those knots that once tied him up, but there is still room for improvement.
Na’s pace issue as I see it now, seems less to do with the actual process of executing the shot and more in the lengthy conversations with the caddie that precede it. The checking and double checking, the almost husband and wife style jibber jabber back and forth. Yes Na is a much faster player now, he 75% of the way there, but still has a ways to go. Follow @golfcentraldoc
The problem with the PGA Tour is that Kevin Na is just one of so many slow players out there. The media chose their targets carefully though, and because some of the slowest players are high on the world rankings and accompanied by influential managers who could make things difficult for them in other ways, they rarely get named. Instead it’s the slow guys down the order like Na who hit the headlines.
In conversation with David Feherty recently, Brandt Snedeker revealed his method of getting a slow playing partner in his group hit with a penalty. When put on the clock by the referee, Sneds says that instead of speeding up, he slows down to ensure the slow guy gets fined $5,000.
And that helps pace of play how? Sneds is right though, penalty shots need to administered liberally by referees.
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