2011 Shriners Open champ Na fights mental block that hinders swing

Like any defending champion, Kevin Na has every intention of repeating when he tees it up at TPC Summerlin on Oct. 4.

But for those who come out to watch, they'll be seeing a different player than the one who captured the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last year by two shots over Henderson's Nick Watney.

Na has made a couple of swing changes to help give him more accuracy. More important, he has worked hard to overcome the demons that plague him when he's prepared to hit a ball. His constant waggles and inability to swing, which some have likened to an actor having stage fright, have been a source of frustration to himself and fans.

"I've been working at it," said Na, a Las Vegas resident who took time off from the PGA Tour to come home to TPC Summerlin in mid-May and try to figure things out and alleviate the mental block that essentially prevents him from completing his swing. "I'm 80 percent cured, but I still have problems."

His problems were magnified at this year's Players Championship, where he led heading into the final round on May 13 but struggled with nerves to the point where he was taking nearly a minute at times to hit his shot. Some fans, not realizing Na was dealing with a mental issue, heckled him unmercifully.

"The only person to blame was myself," Na said. "After the Players, I knew I had to do something. So I changed my approach, and I didn't care what the score was."

The new approach is once Na approaches the ball for his address, he focuses on the target, gets his balance, takes one, two practice swings at the most and then hits. He used the new setup at the Colonial in late May and finished tied for 13th place.

"I think the Golf Channel timed me in 17 seconds," he said. "So that's an improvement."

For all his travails with his swing, Na has played pretty good golf this year. He is ranked No. 36 in the FedEx Cup points race and has earned $1,911,815. He has six top-10 finishes, the best coming at the March 25 Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he tied for fourth.

"I think winning in Vegas last year really helped my confidence," said Na, who earned $2,336,965 in 2011. "It proved that I can go out there and win. I also think I'm more grounded. This is my ninth year on Tour. I think I've improved in everything."

He even handled the heckling at the Players with grace.

"I'd say 90 percent of the fans are supportive and respectful," Na said of his mental battles on the course. "But there's that 10 percent who are idiots, and you can't worry about them."

Na is looking forward to coming home to play and defending his title. But he's more excited about the future of the tournament in Las Vegas. The Shriners' renewed commitment through 2017 and the move to the FedEx series early in the 2013-14 Tour season should make for better golf and bigger galleries at TPC Summerlin.

"I think you're going to see a lot of the West Coast guys come to Vegas," he said. "They'll see it as a chance to get some early (FedEx) points, and everyone loves to play the golf course. With a full field, more money, a great city to play in, I think it's going to make for a better tournament."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.