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Kevin Na actively quit the PGA Tour

American golfer Kevin Na announced his departure from the PGA Tour when it was not clear the penalty from the governing organization after he entered the LIV Golf Invitational Series in London.

“I have competed for the PGA Tour for 19 years, love every minute of it and appreciate all the opportunities that this arena offers,” Na opened the open letter via email. Twitter on 4/6.

After that, the 38-year-old American golfer explained his motivation for leaving: “Recent developments in the professional golf world have made me rethink my career choices. I want the freedom to compete and exercise my autonomy in my career. But if I use that right, I can’t continue to be a PGA Tour player without getting disciplinary or legal trouble with the governing body. And as such, I am very sad to decide to part. Hope the law and the current policy will change so that I can return to the PGA Tour.”





Kevin Na competes in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas in May 2022.  Photo: AP

Kevin Na competes in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas in May 2022. Image: AP

“Now, please pay attention to LIV Golf,” Na said at the end of the open letter. He describes this tournament system as a “new, attractive, exciting golf product that brings excitement to the audience”. The American golfer hopes fans will continue to support him as he begins a new chapter in his career with the inaugural Invitational Series event in London.

Since 2001, he has won five cups through 455 PGA Tour events with a total prize money of approximately 37.82 million USD. Currently, the PGA Tour website leaves the world ranking (OWGR) blank in Na’s career summary, but the official OWGR page shows him at 34th. The highest he has ever reached on this chart is 19th, at the beginning of the year. November 2015.

Last week, LIV Golf Investments announced Na in the list of competitors to open the Invitational Series in London, at Centurion from June 9 to June 11, coinciding with the Canadian Open of the PGA Tour. Besides Na, LIV’s prize has two former world number one – Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood, five former major champions and at least five faces with many cups in the US first-class golf arena.

However, the PGA Tour is limited to members participating in international tournaments outside the system, absolutely preventing North America or events with the same schedule, especially for tournaments involving Saudi Arabia.

“As announced on May 10, all PGA Tour players are not allowed to participate in the Saudi Golf League tournament in London. Violating members will be disciplined,” the PGA Tour released a statement on May 31, shortly after when the “London list” appears. If they really hit the club in Centurion this week, the PGA Tour players are more likely banished foreveras special envoy Jay Monahan has repeatedly warned.

LIV Golf Investments was founded and CEO by legendary golfer Greg Norman, and the major shareholder is the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). LIV is in charge of developing the Saudi Golf League (SGL) – a tournament system that has a reputation as a threat to the PGA Tour and its DP World Tour ally’s dominance of the world’s top golf. Moreover, SGL is being blamed on a strategy of using grand sporting events to cover up the bad reputation of human rights and gender equality in Saudi Arabia.

Currently, the Invitational Series is said to be a “short version” of SGL with a schedule of eight tournaments, five of which are in the US, including the grand final at the National Doral in Miami owned by former president Donald Trump.

Each prize consists of three rounds without elimination, bringing together 48 players evenly divided into 12 teams to compete for a total prize fund of 255 million USD. The fund per event is at $25 million, of which $20 million is for individual stroke play, the rest is for the top 3 in team content. Particularly for the final prize – the grand final – spend 30 million USD for the top 3 individuals in the full schedule, 50 million USD for the team part.

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