Kevin Na on Tiger Woods Impact, Bryson DeChambeau’s growth & Phil Mickelson | Colin Cowherd LIV Golf

Colin Cowherd interviews LIV Golfer Kevin Na. They start off discussing Kevin’s decision to join LIV and what the backlash was at the time and how it’s changed. Kevin names his favorite golf course and talks about the biggest change for him. They share stories about the roller coaster career of Phil Mickelson, the maturity of Bryson DeChambeau & the impact of Tiger Woods.

TIMELINE
00:00 Moving to LIV Golf
06:12 Favorite Golf Course
09:49 Are golfers athletes?
11:38 Phil Mickelson
13:18 Bryson DeChambeau
17:40 Tiger Woods

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Well, the Liv tour makes its stop in Chicago, just part of the the journey of Liv and its unique style and its popularity. And anybody that listens to me knows that I have supported the Live Tour from the beginning. I never loved the way the PGA Tour, which was officially a charity, treated some of its golfers. And I had said for years that Greg Norman’s and Phil Mickelson’s had verbally come out and said they were disappointed. And so when they left, I supported them and still do. Kevin Naw also made that decision. And you know, when I defended live golfers, one of the things I said was, you know, these guys grew up wanting to be on the PTA tour. They dreamt of the US Open in Pebble Beach and the Masters. So this was a hard decision. A lot of people looked at the dollars and said, “Well, it’s easy.” No. When you have a dream and you land it, it’s hard to separate you from that dream. Do you remember, Kevin, the day, the week, the car ride, when you and your family decided, I’m going to leave the PGA tour and do you remember the emotional moment of that, the epiphany? Yes, I do. Uh, it wasn’t an easy decision. Um, I thought about it for for weeks. Uh, I dis discussed it with my team, uh, my family, um, and even, you know, I even had a talk with Jay Monahan before I left. I I literally called him, you know, with with the paper when I had the offer and I had the contract and, uh, I weighed a bunch of options. Um, but at the time there were some of the things that some of the players would have would wanted to see change in the PGA Tour, the direction the PGA Tour wanted to go and none of those things were happening. And when this li uh the league was forming and the offers were going out and it was a great opportunity for me because I played the PG tour for 19 years and right I love it. I loved every minute of it and I was grateful to be there um I enjoyed it. It was a great platform for me to um to play and I’m I’m grateful and thankful. But when this opportunity came along to play uh this team style with individual team uh play around the world um and at the same time you know have some security not that I didn’t with the PJ tour you know I was pretty successful out there as well but it it it felt like it was a new challenge and I was it was exciting and um and a lot of the great names of the game of the golf were joining and I I I wanted to be a part of it. and I want to be a part of this new adventure. Um and uh that’s the reason why I made the job. Yeah. And I and I think you know it’s it’s something to remember the word globalization. Um uh you uh grew up uh in California of Korean descent. You grew up in California. You’re a global citizen to some degree. My mom is from England. We all are or descendants of it. But um we see this with all businesses. And I know as I’ve aged and experienced travel, I love the idea of every I love the idea of traveling. I love the idea. I’ve I’ve moved to six different companies. Wow. When you go to the live tour, was there anxiety? Were there nerves? Take me to your first six months. This is a whole It’s like a new job for you. Yeah, it was different. Um the biggest change I felt was I the music was so easy for me. I really enjoy the music on the golf course. That part I have no issues with. Um the what what was a bit of a transition and it took me a little bit to get adjusted to was the shotgun start standing starting on a random hole. You know there’s a flow of that golf course, right? You start on one or 10, you know, and you know where you’re at. You know like some of the holes the the the stretch you got to take advantage of. Some of the holes you kind of have to be you know you know you want pars are good. um that kind of disappeared and so that part was a bit bit awkward in the beginning. I got used to it now. Um but besides that it was cool to travel around the world and to see like look I played the open. I played in Korea, Asia, but to go around the world and all these golf fans come out and say, you know, to come root for you, come watch you and tell me asking people in the crowd say, “Hey, Kevin, I want to see you walk in a pot.” You know, like things like that. It was it was pretty cool to go different corners of the world and to play in front of the crowd and for them to see, you know, the big names of golf like Brooks, DJ, Phil, all these guys, Bryson, you know, for them to to see those guys in different parts of the world where before when everybody played the PG tour, it was very rare that we all got together and played in different parts of the world. So I think that was very cool experience and and and we we can see that the fans are welcoming us in different parts of the world and enjoying us watching and that’s it’s it’s a rewarding feeling. You know I think there initially and like any change in life there’s animosity. People don’t like change in America. 40% of Americans never live outside of the area code they were born in. Isn’t that crazy? That is crazy. So, so when there was change, I remember going on the air and saying, “Yeah, there’s going to be some animosity. There’s going to be some emotion with it.” Did you do you think that’s dissipated over the last year that that initial shock is now, well, I I can watch the shambo at this tournament. I can watch Kevin Naw here. Is that there’s a realization that this is what’s happening in all business. Yeah. I think in the beginning, you know, like you said, pe people are not comfortable with change. And when we were making this CH, you know, the PG tour, a lot of the media, you know, they said it’s not going to happen. They’re going to fold in six months, four months, you know, it’s never going to last. But we’ve the league has proven that we’re sticking around. and you know and when the our players you know Brooks won a major Bryson won a major when you know playing live and we’re and these guys are still playing well in major championships and showing good performance and watching us grow they’re starting to realize that we’re we’re not donating we’re sticking around and as the same time when the PG tour is asking for investment from PIF then you know all those you know attacks of towards the players that made the first jump has kind of it’s been silenced a little bit. Yeah. So, um I have to ask you I I I I told my wife you have three kids. You’re married three kids. So, family and golf I I felt live gave you an opportunity perhaps to golf a little less more time with family. And my take is if people are happier at home, they’re more productive people. It’s just a better way to live. Yes. that. Um, and by the way, before you left the Live Tour, PJ Golfers today had it easier than PJ Golfers 40 years ago. So, I mean, everything changes. Um, tell me a course that maybe isn’t talked about a lot globally that you love. If I said, Kevin, give me your favorite course that I would never guess and why. Hong Kong Golf Club. Amazing. Hong Kong Golf Club. It’s the It’s been around forever. It’s an old style golf course. I think it’s an amazing golf course. Uh I every time I go there, I think the city is amazing. I think the golf course is amazing. I think the fans are amazing. Obviously, Korea, first time playing here this year. The Jack Golf Club is a pretty good golf course, but I’m a little biased because of my Korean descent. Um and I love going to these Asian countries and playing. Um, you know, me obviously being Asian, you know, the Asians fans are going to, you know, feel like a bit more of a home crowd. Um, and speaking of families, you know, in in the past few years, we’ve taken, it’s hard to travel with three kids internationally, but we’ve taken one or two and at times at three to these different countries and I was able to show my kids different parts of the world at a young age. And I think that’s very very cool and for them to, you know, to learn different cultures, to experience. And I think it really opens their eyes um to to the world, right? And I and we really enjoy that experience. Um and honestly, like I’ll be honest, like I’ve never been happier at home on and my golf game honestly hasn’t been that great. I feel like in the last few rounds something has clicked and I I think I’m g I’m about to go on a good run of golf. But look, at home, I’m I’m I’m home more often for my kids. Um, I get to travel the world with my family. Um, look, I looking back at it now, I think it was a great decision. I’ve talked about this with my wife. And have we do we when we go back two and a half, three years ago, if we go back, we had a time machine, would we make the same decision? And the answer is yes. Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays, and firing off a few bets. All with DraftKings Sportsbook. As the season heats up, so do the bets. And DraftKing Sportsbook has you covered. Home run props, uh, odds boosts, whether you’re chasing dingers, jumping in midame, midame bets are great. There’s always action to be had. So, if you’ve never bet on baseball before, it’s really easy. Pick a guy to hit a home run, hammer some live odds midame, uh, or you can just ride with your team and hope for the best. No spreadsheets, just vibes and dingers. Here’s something special for first- timers, new DraftKings customers. You know the rule. Bet five bucks and get 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly. So just download the DraftKings Sportsbook app. Please use the code. You got to use this code to get the deal. Colin C O L I N. You get 150 bucks bonus bets betting just five only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. The um I I’ve I’ve always believed that unless you’re a golfer and I’ve started playing a lot in the last three years as I’ve got a little bit more time. I’ve got a lot more gray hair. And I think when the grayer your hair gets, the more golf grabs into me. And I’ve always felt an underrated part of golf. Is that when you guys are playing in the summer in parts of the globe, it’s incredibly hot and it’s midday and it’s day after day after day. Has there been a an event on the PGA or the Liv tour where you thought to yourself, I hope people realize I’m a real athlete here because I could fall apart. I mean, there there are moments watching you guys and I’m like, I I I could see Phil Mickelson. I’m like, Phil looks tired. Yeah. Do you do you think that’s an underrated part of even your live tour? You go to Hong Kong, a lot of your you’re playing in the sometimes the steamiest of weather. Oh yeah. I mean Singapore is extremely hot. I remember PG tour days we played in Malaysia extremely hot. Dallas this year we played in you know Oh Dallas was rough. Oh it was rough. Uh and you know we travel we went from Saudi Arabia to Australia. We went from Mexico City to Seoul. I mean, and and literally we we have a 20our travel day and as soon as we land, if it’s during the day in the morning, we go straight to the golf course, we start practicing. That’s not easy to do. And your time zones are all off. Um, but we’re on this, you know, we get up in the morning, we spent all day on the golf course, we train, we practice. Um, you know, I mean, we might we may not look like an athlete, but we are. Um, I’ve always loved Phil Mickelson and I I I read a I don’t think there’s a book about him. I don’t think he loves the book, but I loved him more when I read the book because he’s so unapologet unapologetically Phil Mickelson. And there was a point in his life he probably he probably ate a little too much. He was a little more obnoxious with tour members. Mickelson’s a character and but what I love about him, he leans into it. Now, now you’re getting the older, more mature, wiser Phil Mickelson. Have you watched him ch I guess. Have you seen the change in Phil in the last 20 years when you’ve been around him ever? Played with him, played against him. Have you seen it? Yeah, I’ve seen Skinny Pill, Fat Phil, um, Gambling Phil, Drinking Phil. Look, he’s been nothing but great to me. The first time I played with him, I was 21 years old. We played in the final group. That’s the first time I played him at the final group at the Phoenix Open. He he ended up winning the tournament. I finished second and he’s been nothing but great to him. You can always go to him, ask for any advice, whether it’s golf game, life, anything, anything you want. He he would give you his time, his sincerity. He’s been nothing but great. I think he he’s the same way right now to all the younger kids out here. Um I think he’s a great leader. um like whether whe not obviously you know you can’t please everybody but a lot of the people out here respect him and I personally respect him and I I’m a big fan of Phil and I think what he’s done for the game of golf um we have to be thankful for and I also think sometimes you know I I say this all the time I was not mature enough at 22 23 to be like a professional quarterback in the NFL you know the leader of a billion dollar franchise you guys are not on a team necessarily, although you are the iron heads on the lip tour now, but um Bryson Dambo is a fascinating guy. I didn’t love him when he came out. I didn’t like him. All you know, the 13 pieces of bacon, the nine protein shakes. I’m like, this feels like he’s selling me something. It’s too obnoxious. He pivoted over the last two years. I find him incredibly likable now. And I and I and I go back to well he was young. He he was a good-looking big testosterone. Have you noticed his personal he feels a little humbled, a little more a little wiser, but I find him now incredibly likable. And I didn’t four years ago. Well, Live Golf is redefining how golf is experienced uh and enjoyed supercharging the sport across the globe with innovations and team competition. a really electrifying event and an atmosphere that welcomes fans from all backgrounds. It’s the F1 of golf, a truly unique event. Stars come out for a celebration of sport, entertainment, and culture played in some of the world’s most iconic venues. So, in addition to worldclass golf, you get a festival off the course, incredible food, live music, and a fan village packed with games and challenges uh for young and old. It it’s all on the line when Live Golf comes to Chicago’s Bowling Brook Golf Club. I’ll be there August 8th through the 10th. Players will be fighting for places at both ends of the individual standings while the US players have another chance to push for Ryder Cup selections. That’s big, too. So, it’s a chance to see 54 of the game’s best players at Bowling Brook Golf Club. Of course, that’s open to the public. All be there. This marks another major step forward in LiveGolf’s commitment to build the more inclusive, accessible game of golf. It’s a Campmas experience. Grab your tickets at livegolf.com. That’s ligolf.com. Or if you can’t make it this time, you can follow every shot live and exclusively on Fox Sports. I I always joke to him. I was like, “Look, um, I was nice to you before you became a big star and before you were likable. I always liked him from day one. Um, you know, I remember talking to him before when he wasn’t playing so good and you know, when he was doing the side straddle and I would come talk to him about on the putting green or what his u theories were and I played with him in a QBE uh team play shootout. Um, what year was this? I can’t even remember 2017 or 18, whatever it was, we teamed up. We finished third and I I got to know him pretty well then how he played the game and what his you know all these calculations that he made and it was it was fascinating. I mean, he would calculate putts off the off the green from what the fairies were running at and stem and then from the green on to the hole that how many feet that is and that stem and he would with the slope and he would say this putt’s playing 47 feet and he did it and hit it like perfect speed or make it and it was incredible. Um but um I think people got to know him and watched him mature and grow up and and became this likable um interesting character. Um, and we need more characters like that in the golf game. Whether you like him or not, I think most people do like him. Um, he’s he’s an interesting guy and what he’s done with his body and his game, the transformation that he’s gone through, it’s incredible and he’s an incredibly talented player. Um, I I always enjoy my conversations with him. Um, but look, you know, when you’re 21, 22 and you’re a millionaire and, you know, you think you have the world by it, you know, you know, it’s a little bit of growing. And I bet I was the same way when I was younger. You know, I turned pro at 17 and got on the tour when I was 20. You know, when you’re 20 and but you need a little bit of that to to make it. So, I think if you kind of look at that and get to understand the guy and get to understand the players, I mean, we’re no we’re much better than football and other other sports. I mean, we’re much more mature and um more well behaved, I’d say. Uh but it’s I think we we watched him grow up. Yeah. you went straight to the pros at 17 years old. Um, finally, there’s there’s a legendary piece of footage I’m talking to Kevin Naw about you and Tiger Woods when you’re speed play after you hit the putt and he does the same thing. Tiger, there’s only two athletes in my lifetime, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, that literally changed how I watch TV. I would cancel stuff on a Sunday to watch Tiger Woods. Yeah. Do you think they’ll was it you know it was sort of it wasn’t obviously pre- internet but it was uh pre-tick tok um golf felt those games felt those tournaments with Tiger it just felt like otherworldly. You think golf will ever have that again? Yeah, I think so. I think Bryson is as closest to as if you know the excitement. Um I think Rory’s pretty exciting. I think uh Rom’s pretty exciting and we becoming that player as well. I think there’s different characters of the game that bring that kind of energy. Um, obviously Tiger was, you know, his dominating and his, you know, his power and his blowing the field away and, you know, even though he’s four back with nine to play, you’re like, “Oh, he’s going to win, you know, he’s going to go on this crazy run.” And I remember watching as a kid and I’m I mean, you know, being a fan of Tiger, um, it’s it’s incredible. I mean, but um I think there are characters that can follow his footsteps or become maybe not that Tiger Woods icon level, but you know, up close to that level and we can have three or four guys kind of eco tiger, you know what I mean? Um but sure, I think golf has become more more entertaining and more exciting than than before. Back in 90s, I I grew up watching golf, you know, in the 90s, you know. Um, and you know, I I became a pro in the early 2000, and I I played all these with these guys on the senior tour that’s playing now. And I think golf has become more entertaining. I mean, there’s more characters of the game. I mean, you got, you know, Bryson that bombs it, cuts corners. You got Rory also, you know, Scotty Shuffler getting arrested. I mean, there’s I think it’s entertaining. I mean, you know, um we have some John Daily, you know, the, you know, the former John Dies and the guys, um right now, um look, I I think golf is in a good place. Um except this division. I think once this we find a way to get the players back together more often, I think I think golf has got to go up another level. Yeah, I hope so. Kevin Naw, uh a pleasure to talk to you. I love your stories. I’ll be rooting for you and thank you so much for taking time. Thanks Colin. Thanks for having me on. Sorry to interrupt this great video, but please remember to like and subscribe. Thank you. Now, back to the video. [Music]