Kevin Na wins The Greenbrier


Kevin Na fired a closing round of 64 to win The Greenbrier at The Old White TPC by five shots from fellow American Kelly Kraft.

Kevin Na wins The Greenbrier
Kevin Na wins The Greenbrier

Kevin Na wins The Greenbrier

Kevin Na secured his second PGA Tour victory with an impressive final round of 64 in The Greenbrier. The win came nearly seven years after he claimed his first title on the circuit in Las Vegas back in October 2011.

Na started Sunday’s round one stroke behind co-leaders Harold Varner and Kelly Kraft. But the 34-year-old birdied six of his first 10 holes to open a big lead on the Old White TPC, and he cruised home from there. The only error he made was a bogey on the par-4 11th after driving into the rough.

Na set a clubhouse total of 19-umder-par that nobody playing behind was able to match. With the win, he’s climbed to 18th on the FedEx Cup standings. Na had notched up 36 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour since his last victory in 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.”

Kevin Na

Kevin Na

Although Na won at a canter, there was a tense finish on Sunday to see who would earn a spot in The Open Championship at Carnoustie. Na had already qualified so the places went to those finishing behind him who hadn’t yet earned a place. Harold Varner III, who had led through 54 holes, needed a birdie on either the 17th or 18th holes to make it, but he parred both. In the end, Kelly Kraft, Jason Kokrak, Brandt Snedeker and Austin Cook took the spots.

Kelly Kraft finished the week in second place and had to accept he was second best on the day to Na.

“Obviously, I would have loved to win after leading coming into today, but, you know, sometimes you run into a guy that makes a lot of putts,” he said.

Brandt Snedeker closed with a superb 64 to climb the board, end the week in a tie for third and earn a spot in The Open Championship. It was just his second top-10 finish on the season on the PGA Tour.

Brandt Snedeker

Brandt Snedeker

“It’s been a tough year for me, just not playing up to where I think I’m capable of,” Snedeker said. “Putting the work in, knowing I’m working as hard, if not harder, than I ever have. So I knew this was coming, it’s just hard to see the forest through the trees sometimes.”

A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier
The Old White TPC, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
5-8 July
Purse: $7,300,000 Par: 70

1 Kevin Na (USA) 69 63 65 64 261 $1,314,000
2 Kelly Kraft (USA) 64 63 69 70 266 $788,400
T3 Jason Kokrak (USA) 65 64 71 67 267 $423,400
T3 Brandt Snedeker (USA) 66 67 70 64 267 $423,400
T5 Austin Cook (USA) 66 66 70 66 268 $247,470
T5 Joel Dahmen (USA) 67 65 67 69 268 $247,470
T5 Joaquin Niemann (Chi) 63 69 72 64 268 $247,470
T5 Sam Saunders (USA) 68 63 67 70 268 $247,470
T5 Harold Varner III (USA) 66 64 66 72 268 $247,470
10 Russell Henley (USA) 68 69 69 63 269 $197,100

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

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