May 9, 2009 (UPDATE May 10) –Just seemingly hours after we posted "The Official Guide to Las Vegas Tour Pros", came word from The PLAYERS Championship that the Las Vegas golf area is now home to another PGA Tour star. Kevin Na has recently moved to Las Vegas' Summerlin area, and joins the many other Las Vegas pro golfers who play and practice at Las Vegas golf courses TPC Las Vegas and TPC Summerlin. "I like the golf courses there," said Na, who played with Las Vegas "neighbor" and PLAYERS leader (through 36 holes) Alex Cejka. "The TPC at Summerlin is a great golf course. We have the Justin Timberlake tournament there. It's just a great place to practice. The Canyons, now called TPC Las Vegas, has a great driving range. They're both good golf courses, and that was a big reason why." Na Finished in a tie for third. LIVE RESULTS.
Na is the 29th golfer with a strong tie to Las Vegas to be listed on an official money list in 2009. The official money lists are from the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, LPGA Tour and Champions Tour, and a "strong tie" is defined as currently living in the Las Vegas area, having lived in Las Vegas for a substantial time period in the past, or having played at UNLV. Na went on to say that Las Vegas has great travel options, and he also has the ability to withstand the urges that can potentially come with living in Las Vegas. "Vegas has a good airport where you can fly direct, also," said Na. "I'm not much of a gambler, so that's one of the reasons why I can move there. If I was a gambler I probably wouldn't."
Cejka was controlling the early going of The PLAYERS with rounds of 66-67, and stood at 11-under par, two shots in front pf Ian Poulter and four shots in front of a large group of players–including Na–who were at 7-under par through two rounds. Cejka has lived in Las Vegas for several years and also plays and practices at TPC Las Vegas, a former host site of Las Vegas PGA Tour and Champions Tour events. The public–both visiting and local Las Vegas golfers–is welcome to play at TPC Las Vegas. Click now for official TPC Las Vegas tee times.
"We were calling each other neighbors," said Na, about what it was like to play in an official round with Cejka. "Nice putt there, neighbor. He made a lot of putts and so did I. We were making fun of each other. It's like, man, the hole is too big. It's like, come on, you made it. Another putt? Are you kidding me. And we had a great time out there. And that was I think the reason why we both played well."
Na quickly moves to near the top of the "Las Vegas PGA Tour Money List" because he came into The PLAYERS ranked 24th with just more than $1.1 million in earnings. Only Las Vegas residents Nick Watney (ranked 5th) and Charley Hoffman (20th) were the "Las Vegas golfers" ranked higher on the official money list before The PLAYERS event. Na originally hails from South Korea, and has played on the PGA Tour since 2004, earning more than $5.1 million in his career to this point. He has yet to a win on the PGA Tour. Na's official residence is still listed as California in the official PGA Tour media guide despite his comments at The Players.