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LIV Golf provides more of a laid back atmosphere for fans and golfers, but Kevin Na took that too far in Adelaide.
LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed rival league to the PGA Tour, has trumpeted their laid back approach to golf. Whether that is the music playing in the background, the fans chanting as golfers hit their shot, or the players themselves acting a little more relaxed.
This weekend, LIV Golf hosted its most successful event, LIV Adelaide in Australia.
CEO Greg Norman declared victory after a record-setting week. Television ratings were up and there were attendance records set during the three days for LIV Golf.
But just because the tournament was an overall success, that does not mean there were not still hiccups.
A fan chucked a water bottle onto the course and hit a caddie in the head, sending him to the ground.
Then, there is the matter of Kevin Na.
Video surfaced of Na acting like a child, cursing like a trucker after failing to get out of the woods.
The video opens with Na standing, clearly frustrated as his ball lie in a patron sand path left of the fairway.
His caddie asks fans to move, as they are blocking the pathway for Na’s attempted shot.
He then completely chunks his shot, as it moved forward maybe 20 feet.
“F***ing bullsh**,” Na can be heard yelling aloud. He then punches his bag on his caddie’s shoulder as he mumbles more curse words.
Things did not get any better.
Na’s next shot strikes a tree and squirts out to the right. At this point, frustration boils over and the 40-year-old shows no care in the world.
He just walks to his ball and whacks it into the fairway, dropping more F-bombs along the way.
It was unbelievably childish behavior from a former 5-time PGA Tour winner. But this would be completely unacceptable on the big boy circuit.
You can get away with it in LIV Golf though. He obviously has zero concerns about how he is acting. Why would he? He already got his bag joining the Saudi-funded golf league.
Even I can acknowledge that there are certain elements of LIV that are good for the game, and in particular, for the fans. But creating an environment where a professional feels emboldened enough to act like that is not one of them.
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social media platforms.
