Monday Scramble: Na’s win, JT’s loss and Bryson’s gut; plus top 5 PGA possibilities

Kevin Na does it again, Justin Thomas loses a sponsor, the WGC-Mexico won’t be played in Mexico, Chris Kirk pulls through and more in this week’s edition of the Monday Scramble:

This clip made the rounds on social media last week. It was Kevin Kisner, explaining why he still shows up at places like big and brawny Torrey Pines, even though he knows, deep down, he probably can’t finish better than 20th there:

Kevin Na said something similar a few years ago at Colonial, where he explained why he thinks there are probably only “seven, eight” courses where he can win; and why some, he said, he might be able to top-10, but not win; and why the others, well, “I have no chance” and “I don’t play those unless it’s a major and I’ve got no choice.”

Asked about Kiz’s comments on Sunday night, sitting next to the Sony Open trophy, Na said: “He couldn’t have said it any better.”

Waialae is one of those seven or eight courses. Na knows that heading into the week. Ditto for Colonial and Harbour Town and Silverado and his hometown event at TPC Summerlin.

For Kisner and Na and players of that ilk – below-average length, sublime short games and putters – there’s a tremendous amount of pressure arriving on-site, because they know it’s one of only a handful of realistic opportunities they’ll have all season. For the lesser players, how they fare there often means the difference between keeping and losing a Tour card.

Imagine Na’s satisfaction, then, when he fired a third-round 61 and then erased a three-shot deficit with six holes to play Sunday at the Sony. Talk about opportunities maximized: Na is now one of only three players with a victory in each of the past four seasons, joining Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, immensely talented physical specimens to whom Na cannot relate. Which makes what he has achieved all the more impressive.

“I felt like Waialae is a golf course I really have a chance at, and there’s not too many of these left anymore, so I have to take advantage of it,” he said afterward. “What a great feeling to win at a golf course I really feel like I can win at.”

This victory will inevitably lead to more discussion about whether Na, who rose to No. 23 in the world, can finally land on a U.S. cup team. Royal Melbourne, host of the 2019 Presidents Cup, was a far better fit for Na’s game – one of those courses he could have contended on. He was in the mix for a wildcard pick but ultimately passed over by captain Tiger Woods. But Whistling Straits, which at the Ryder Cup will be stretched to its max to exploit the Americans’ biggest advantage? Sigh. Perhaps not.

Ralph Lauren announced that it had severed its relationship with Justin Thomas after Thomas was caught on a hot mic muttering a homophobic slur to himself during the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

On one hand, this wasn’t surprising – Thomas’ choice of words was unacceptable, and Ralph Lauren is unique in that it’s not a golf-specific brand but rather a fashion house with ties to the gay community; the company was recently named by the Human Rights Campaign as the Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. It was always going to view Thomas’ remarks as particularly egregious.

And yet, this decision, rendered a week after the hot-mic incident at Kapalua, still seemed bizarre. Thomas seemed genuinely horrified by his mistake. He owned it and profusely apologized, twice. Instead of giving Thomas an opportunity to redeem himself and use his considerable platform for good, together, Ralph Lauren instead decided to cut ties ... except, it said, that its “hope is that Mr. Thomas does the hard and necessary work in order to partner with us again.”

In order to partner with us again.

Which makes it seem as though this is merely a suspension.

In any case, Thomas is in the field this week at the European Tour’s event in Abu Dhabi, and he showed up to the course Monday in his usual RLX gear.

Long-rumored and now official, next month’s World Golf Championship event will be moved from Mexico to the west coast of Florida, in this case Concession Golf Club.

This news has been swirling for weeks, ever since it became obvious that hosting a high-profile event in Mexico, in the middle of a pandemic, wasn’t feasible. A WGC event in Florida is easier to be managed and controlled, and it helps set up a true Florida swing with the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Players Championship and Honda Classic in succession during the run-up to the Masters.

Concession, located in Bradenton, is a stout test for this WGC one-off; this correspondent covered the 2015 NCAA Championship (won individually on the men’s side by a fella named Bryson DeChambeau, then about 50 pounds lighter), and the course was nicknamed “Concussion,” because of its difficulty tee to green.

In the press release announcing the move, the Tour said that it hoped to return to Mexico in 2022. That’s our hope as well, because Chapultepec is one of the most interesting venues on the Tour schedule. Even if it’ll no longer be a permanent fixture, it’d be an insanely fun Presidents Cup venue someday.

THIS WEEK’S AWARD WINNERS ...

Standing Ovation: Chris Kirk. From the darkness Kirk has emerged, keeping his status on the PGA Tour in his final start on a major medical extension after battling alcoholism and depression. Needing a two-way tie for third or better, he made a clutch up-and-down on the 72nd hole and finished one shot back of Na, in a tie for second, to retain his playing privileges. It was his best finish since fall 2016. A great story, made better by his willingness to share his inner struggle.

Big Things Coming: Joaquin Niemann. After a playoff loss at Kapalua, the 22-year-old followed it up with a tie for second at the Sony, completing a Hawaiian swing in which he shot 45 under par and averaged 65.88 (!) per round. No wins so far this season, but he’s on the verge of making the leap.

Maybe Next Year Is the Year?: Brendan Steele. After coughing up a two-ahead-with-two-to-play lead at the 2020 Sony, Steele did it again this year, squandering a three-shot advantage as he made the turn at Waialae. Two bogeys and seven pars ain’t gonna get it done in a track meet.

Good News!: No ams at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. With the pandemic raging throughout California, tournament officials did the only reasonable thing by eliminating the amateur portion of the Crosby Clambake. So, no Gary Mule Deer sightings or painfully awkward interviews this year, but at last the Tour can set up Pebble Beach and Spyglass (only two courses this year) for just the pros. We’ve never said this before about the Pebble event, but it’s true: We can’t wait to watch.

Welcome Back: More stars. Not only are Rory McIlroy (Abu Dhabi) and Brooks Koepka (American Express) among those making their 2021 debuts this week, but the LPGA is back in action following a one-month break. The season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions kicks off Thursday before the tour takes another one-month hiatus.

Uh ... Nope: Tom Watson. So many questions come to mind here, most notably: Why?

Keep Plugging Away: Michael Kim. It would have been easy to give up by now, but Michael Kim, a former Haskins Award winner as the country’s top college golfer, finally made a cut on Tour, ending a streak of 43 consecutive events without playing the weekend, a span of 826 days. Good for him.

Now That We Solved That ...: Bryson DeChambeau’s mysterious Masters illness. Remember when DeChambeau’s highly anticipated Masters was wrecked, in part, because of dizzy spells? Well, we never got a firm answer on what actually happened that week, and what doctors discovered in subsequent tests. So we asked Bryson this week ... and the answer was illuminating. (Basically, he had anxiety and stress and some digestive issues from his “dirty weight gain bulk” that caused, uh, “something on the back end.”)

There for the Taking: Waialae. The third-round scoring average at the Sony was 66.66 – nearly 3 ½ strokes under par. That was the lowest single-round average since the 2003 American Express (66.28).

The Power of Confidence: Kevin Na. He had one win in his first 369 starts. He now has four wins in his last 55.

Blown Fantasy Pick of the Week: Sungjae Im. Coming off a tie for fifth at Kapalua, the Tour’s ironman would have seemed an even better bet to cash in at a ball-striker’s paradise like Waialae, where he’s finished inside the top 25 in each of his first two appearances. He shot three straight rounds of 68 ... which would be pretty good any other week! Instead, he tied for 56th. Sigh.

TOP 5 REALISTIC VENUES FOR 2022 PGA CHAMP.

With Trump Bedminster no longer slated to host next year’s PGA Championship, here are the top 5 courses that could – and should – step in as a replacement:

1.) Riviera: Big market, West Coast (that coveted primetime TV slot for weekend rounds) and a May date should present firmer and faster conditions than what can be a long and slow slog for the annual Tour stop in February. A no-brainer.

2.) Shoal Creek: It hasn’t hosted a PGA since 1990, and the club is markedly different since that era. In the past decade it’s staged a senior major and a U.S. Women’s Open, and its membership seems eager to open its doors to the world once again.

3.) Southern Hills: A 23-year gap between men’s majors is much too long for this venerable track – though it’s prepping for this year’s Senior PGA – and the weather in Tulsa in May will be far more tolerable than the middle of August.

4.) Chambers Bay: Any course can have agronomic issues, as this Seattle-area gem did in 2015 when it staged the U.S. Open, with the USGA pushing the greens to the edge (and then over). It’s worth remembering the stellar leaderboard that year, just as it produced an all-star match-play bracket during its debut at the 2010 Amateur.

5.) Bandon Dunes: JUST LET US DREAM, OK?!