Hacking Away With Character

Kevin Na examines his lie on the ninth hole of the Valero
Texas Open. Na's 16 set a record, but even after the hole he
was still able to smile and address the media.

Anybody whose ever picked up a golf club knows how challenging the sport can be. Sometimes the hole looks no bigger than a pea. Other times, tree branches seem to multiply as you get closer and closer to your ball.

Now imagine trying to play the most infuriating game known to man with the pressure of the world's best nipping at your heals.

That's what Rory McIlroy and Kevin Na had to deal with these last two weekends.

For McIlroy – a 21 year old in search of his first Green Jacket – the plan was relatively simple. With a four-shot lead going into the final day all he had to do was show up and keep it in the fairway.

He showed up, but that's about all that the vibrant Irishman did. Perhaps it was a bad tuna sandwich or a busty beercart lady after the turn that had McIlroy distracted, but after a pair of double bogeys sandwiched a bogey, McIlroy's name dropped from the leaderboard like a golf ball hit in the middle of the lake.

But while McIlroy choked on the world's biggest golf stage, he can take solace in knowing that someone else had a worse week.

Whenever I got stuck behind a tree while playing a round, my dad always used to say that the tree was 90 percent air. Try telling that to Kevin Na.

During last weekend's Valero Texas Open, Na's knack for finding the woods resulted in a record-setting 16 on one hole. Don't believe me, you can count the shots here.

We've all been there at sometime or another. After about 12 shots, most of us would pick up the ball, call it a day and head into the clubhouse looking for a cold brew to help us forget that nightmare even happened.

Kudos to Na, though. Despite all the frustration and knowing that his shot at a tournament win went up in flames with that one hole, he fought through it all – even laughing it off and talking to the media after his round.

Professional golfers are very touchy and tough to deal with sometimes. They often act like the world owes them a favor just because they can hit a little, white ball into a 50 to 100-yard fairway. Just look at the way Tiger Woods has carried himself over the past year.

Obviously, both McIlroy and Na were frustrated with their performance – as any professional athlete would be. For them to address the media and handle the questions in the way they did following their poor rounds, that says a lot about their character.

Golf may not be the most watched sport on TV, but with guys like McIlroy and Na letting the public into their own little world, its popularity will soar. If nothing else, people will tune in just to see a couple of guys hack it like they do.