SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 6, 2022

Kevin Na

Plantation Course at Kapalua

Quick Quotes

Q. Obviously two bogeys to start, but then you bounced back with four straight. What kind of composure does it take to do that?

KEVIN NA: Yeah, I got off to a really poor start and I didn't really feel like I hit a lot of bad shots. First one was a flier, and then I had a really long putt and I 3-putted.

Second hole I hit a great shot right where I wanted to and Kenny handed me the putter and I walk up there and it's over the green, couldn't get up-and-down.

So technically I had one bad shot on the tee shot on 1. So I just kept telling myself there's a lot of birdie holes out there and I rattled off a few birdies in a row and kind of got the momentum going the right way and played well the rest of the way.

Q. You had a little bit of a par streak there and then finished strong with some birdies too. Are you just feeling some kind of Hawaiian vibes really from last year?

KEVIN NA: Yeah, it's a special place, right? And it's an honor to be here. Every year you come here you're doing something right. I just played well a few weeks ago at the QBE with Jason Kokrak. We won QBE and that helps. So I don't feel like I had too much time off. I had a lot of time off leading into QBE because of an injury, but then that really helped me, I feel like that really helped me get ready for this week.

Q. And then the green-reading books, how has that affected, if anything, this week?

KEVIN NA: So I've never used a green-reading book. I remember last year at Sony Open I looked at it one time on 17 when I had a chance to shoot 59 and it didn't work out too well, so that was the last time I saw it.

Now, Kenny carries one, my caddie, used to carry one, and we, he would look at it here and there. So I don't feel like it's a huge change for me because we've never really looked at it a lot. So I actually like it that it's gone. So I feel like Kenny and I am a pretty good green reader out there so it's an advantage for us.

Q. Last thing, I heard you say you were playing a new ball for the first time in 19 years. Tell me about that.

KEVIN NA: Yeah, it's pretty wild, I've been playing the same brand of ball for 19 years. My first year as a pro I played a Callaway ball and then right now I'm playing a Callaway ball and I know it's not going to be my last year. It's really good. I wouldn't have made the switch unless I really thought it was really good.

It's still too early to say, because you can practice all you want at home, but you have to get competition rounds to really know what this ball is like. So far, so good, 6-under.