Honesty about inner demons makes Na, other players more real

Kevin Na missed the cut in his first Masters start in 2010, but that’s not what stands out about it.

“I remember my first Masters, and walking off the 13th tee I told my caddie, ‘If you told me as a kid that you’re playing in the Masters someday I would have been the happiest kid alive,’ ” Na said. “I wanted to play the PGA Tour one day, but the Masters was something beyond that.”

Na will make his sixth appearance at Augusta National Golf Club this year, coming off a tie for 12th in 2015. Every time he shows up, he feels a little more like he belongs.

“When I went there for the first time I looked at the golf course and looked at the greens and said, ‘I don’t see 65 or 66 out here,’ ” he said. “After I kept playing it, I shot 68, shot 67, shot 66, I could see those scores. It definitely takes a couple of years for you to know the golf course and know where to hit it and where not to hit it. I’ve definitely learned those in the last few years.”

Earning six Masters starts in seven years is a pretty impressive run for a PGA Tour player with only one career victory. He has reached the Tour Championship four times and become a recent fixture in the top 50.

Na has his demons, which he opened up about in a revealing Golf.com story titled Inside the Complicated Mind of Kevin Na: A Case Study in the Frailty of a Golfer’s Psyche.

There are recurring nightmares and living swing balks that were painfully on display at the 2012 Players Championship, when he had trouble pulling the trigger in front of the world as he contended. His issues have drawn criticism for slow play despite earnest attempts to address all of the underlying causes to his pace.

Talking about his problems publicly was a tonic of sorts and helped turn public opinion.

“Mostly 99 percent positive,” he said of the reaction he has received since the story ran in January.

“People have been saying it was very honest and they got to know me and what was going on inside and what even players our level go through and the mental struggles I’ve overcome. What I’ve overcome was a pretty big deal. People don’t realize that it’s not easy. I owned up to things that I could have done better probably. But I told my side of the story and I think people liked it and people felt like that it humanized me.”

Sports fans aren’t always the most compassionate, but Na appreciates that he never hears any jeers when he comes to Augusta National. It is one of many things he deeply loves about the Masters Tournament.

“Everything, everything about it,” he said. “The history, the atmosphere, the Par-3 Contest, the patrons, the golf course. Everything about it, they do it right.

“The respect people have for Augusta, not just players but everyone there. I see too many people on the golf course these days they don’t show respect for the game or for the players. I understand that people are out here to have fun, but (recently) I saw Billy Horschel had someone yell on his backswing. Unfortunately it went in the water. That’s not fair and that’s not part of the game. So it’s always nice to see people being respectful to Augusta and to the players. I feel honored every time I go there and feel privileged to be a part of something special.”

Na nearly finished 12th alone last year at 7-under, but on the last hole in the final round he missed a 5-footer for par that allowed his playing partner Kevin Streelman back into this year’s field with a tie for 12th.

“We joked about that,” Na said. “I told him he owes me a dinner.”

That he’s in a place where he can laugh about some miscues at Augusta National makes Na more confident in his return. He’s twice tied for 12th and believes he can make a run at contention.

“I’d like to finish top five,” he said. “When I mean top five, I’m also talking about the win, too.”

With his inner demons under relative control, it’s not out of the question.

“I just have a little creep left in me, and I’ll probably have it the rest of my life,” he said of his issues. “But hopefully, that evil side doesn’t ever come out. Keep it dormant.”