WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Kevin Na rode a hot putter to his first win on the PGA Tour in nearly seven years.
Na shot a 6-under-64 Sunday for a five-stroke victory in A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
The 34-year-old Na’s only previous win came in Las Vegas in October 2011.
“I wasn’t sure if it was going to come again. I was hoping it would – sooner than later,” Na said. “I’ve been close so many times, failed so many times.”
Ha had three dozen top-10 finishes since that previous win and showed signs earlier this year that reaching the top again was within reach. He tied for second at the Genesis Open in January, two shots behind Bubba Watson. In late May, he shot 61 in the first round of the Fort Worth Invitational to match the course record and finished fourth.
He started Sunday’s round one stroke behind co-leaders Harold Varner and Kelly Kraft, but birdied six of his first 10 holes to open a big lead. The only blemish on his card was a bogey on the par-4 11th after driving into the rough.
Na finished at 19-under 261 and picked up the $1.31 million winner’s check. He improved 40 spots to No. 18 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Kraft shot 70 and finished second at 14 under. Brandt Snedeker (64) and Jason Kokrak (67) tied for third at 13 under.
Na’s surge included making putts of 24, 33 and 43 feet.
“My putter got hot,” Na said. “The first day, the putter felt awful, and (then) it just clicked. Every time I got over the ball it felt great, and everything felt like it was going in.”
Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who was one shot behind when the round started, bogeyed five of his first six holes. He shot 75 and finished 11 shots back.
LPGA: Sei Young Kim closed with a 7-under 65 for a record-setting nine-shot victory in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in Oneida, Wis.
Kim finished at 31-under par, four shots better than the LPGA scoring record in relation to par that she had shared with Annika Sorenstam.
She also set the 72-hole stroke record at 257, finishing with a par to break the mark by one shot.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Scottish golfer Russell Knox rolled in almost-identical birdie putts from around 40 feet on the 72nd hole and the first playoff hole to win the Irish Open.
After Knox made birdie on No. 18 to set the clubhouse target at 14-under par, Ryan Fox of New Zealand missed an 8-foot birdie putt that would have won the event.
Knox shot 6-under 66 in his final round.
Fox, who had a 68, secured a place in the British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland, later this month.
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