Why did Kevin Na withdraw from LIV Golf Jeddah amidst the event? Real reason explored

LIV Golf Invitational - Boston - Day Three
LIV Golf Invitational - Boston - Day Three

Since transitioning from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, Kevin Na has not had much success. The golfer recently had to withdraw from LIV Golf Jeddah, a tournament in which his team was competing for the title.

Na initially had zero top-10 finishes and landed outside the top 30 a few times in the events leading up to Jeddah.

His performance, however, was not the reason he had to leave Jeddah. On Wednesday, Na left during the second round after suddenly pulling out of the event.

His decision to leave stems from an illness that he reportedly came down with last week in Bangkok. The golfer did not recover and was unable to continue playing, though he opened with a par-70 in the first round.

His team, Iron Heads GC, is in seventh overall and 10th in this tournament. Two weeks from now, the team will head to Miami for the LIV Golf team championship.

Hopefully, Na will have fully recovered by then and be able to compete to the fullest of his abilities.


Is Kevin Na's LIV Golf team going to win the team championship?

Thus far, Na's team has not performed all that well. They're in the middle of the pack in the standings. Iron Heads is made up of Na, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Phachara Khongwatmai and Sihwan Kim.

They're not expected to do well in the tournament. In fact, some betting sites have them as the least likely team to take home the championship.

The odds for the tournament, according to Draft Kings, have Iron Heads in dead last:

  • 4 Aces +175
  • Crushers +350
  • Fire Balls +400
  • Smash +800
  • Stinger +900
  • Punch +1400
  • Hy Flyers +2000
  • Majesticks +2000
  • Torque +2800
  • Niblicks +3500
  • Cleeks +3500
  • Iron Heads +3500

In Bovada, they are similar, with Iron Heads coming in slightly ahead of last place:

  • 4 Aces +187
  • Crushers +375
  • Fire Balls +400
  • Smash +850
  • Stinger +850
  • Punch +1400
  • Hy Flyers +1800
  • Majesticks +2000
  • Torque +2500
  • Iron Heads +3300
  • Niblicks +3300
  • Cleeks +3300

It will take a masterful performance from the team to overcome these odds.


Why did Kevin Na join LIV Golf?

The golfer's reasoning for playing LIV instead of PGA is simple. He wanted the freedom to go where he wanted to play, according to ESPN:

"If I exercise my right to choose where and when I play golf, then I cannot remain a PGA Tour player without facing disciplinary proceedings and legal action from the PGA Tour."
LIV Golf Invitational - Boston - Day Two
LIV Golf Invitational - Boston - Day Two

He continued:

"I am sad to share that I have chosen to resign from the PGA Tour. This has not been an easy decision and not one taken lightly. I hope the current policies change and I'll be able to play on the PGA Tour again."

Unfortunately, with the growing chasm between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, that may not be possible. LIV golfers may be branded for life.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit ESPN and H/T Sportskeeda.

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Edited by S Chowdhury