‘Happy to move on': Ex-LIV captain talks about exit, PGA Tour return

Kevin Na, in talking about a PGA Tour return, says “we’ll see how it goes.”

But he said he won’t be rejoining LIV Golf. 

Na’s comments came this week ahead of the Asian Tour’s New Zealand Open, his first event since the longtime pro and LIV parted ways. Na had served as a team captain with the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit since its first event in 2022, but he told Golf Australia Magazine that he wouldn’t be returning in the future.

“I enjoyed it,” Na said of his time on LIV.  “I thought it was great. It was a great product. I think it was a part of my life which I gave my all to while I was there.

“I’m happy to move on. Excited about my next chapter.”

Na’s departure from LIV was confirmed in the middle of last month, when the league said that Byeong Hun An would captain Na’s former team, though Na wasn’t named in the press release and the reason for the separation remains unclear. In the last event Na played, the PIF Saudi International event last November, Na wore LIV Golf clothing and he was noted in a LIV Golf press release. 

Fourteen days after An was named captain, the PGA Tour said that Na’s PGA Tour membership had been reinstated following his departure in 2022, but it also said that Na was facing “disciplinary action for outstanding violations of the regulations” and that a return date would be given “when appropriate.”

In the Golf Australia Magazine story, Na said that “it’s one step at a time” when looking at a potential Tour return. The 42-year-old had played 458 events on the circuit, earned over $37 million and won five tournaments. With LIV, Na had five top 10 finishes, and last season he finished 44th in the season-long standings. 

“Obviously, the PGA Tour is an amazing place,” Na told Golf Australia Magazine. 

“I really enjoyed my 19-year 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 spot into 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 told 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 you travel to different parts of the world, you’re excited. Maybe when you do this for a long time, sometimes that fades away. But I know it’s still there.

“I’m really excited this week. I think I want to find that bubbly, exciting feeling again.”

Editor’s note: To read the entire Golf Australia Magazine story, please click here. 

The post ‘Happy to move on': Ex-LIV captain talks about exit, PGA Tour return appeared first on Golf.