Kevin Na wins Shriners in sudden-death playoff

By
Mo Yoshimoto,

By
Mo Yoshimoto

Published October 8, 2019 12:13 PM

Shriners Hospitals

TPC Summerlin

Las Vegas, NV

Winner’s Share: $1,260,000

A putting display for the ages.

Playing out of the final twosome, second-round quad-leader and third-round leader (by two) Kevin Na battled to a 1-under-par 33-37=70 in Sunday’s final round to match playing competitor Patrick Cantlay (68) on 23-under 261, and then defeated him with a two-putt par on the second playing of the par-4 18^th in sudden death, improving his record to 1-3 in playoffs.

The Las Vegas resident, a pre-tourney 66/1 outright, bags his fourth TOUR victory in 399 events, first since the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge (Colonial CC) seven starts ago, also as a 54-hole leader by two.

Note: It took Na 211 starts before he won his first TOUR title, here in 2011, in his eighth season. Seven seasons, 159 starts, 6 years, 9 months later, he won his second at the 2018 Greenbrier. Twenty-two starts later, he won his third at the 2019 Charles Schwab. Now, just seven starts later, he’s won his fourth.

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Final Leaderboard (pre-tourney odds outright):

P1- (-23) Kevin Na (66/1)

P2- (-23) Patrick Cantlay (11/1)

3- (-21) Pat Perez (200/1)

4- (-20) Bryson DeChambeau (16/1)

4- (-20) Adam Hadwin (40/1)

4- (-20) Brian Stuard (200/1)

Note: Repeat top-10 finishers in the event: Cantlay (2-2-1); Perez (3-7); DeChambeau (4-1-7); Lucas Glover (9-7-3)

Na’s Position by Round:

R1: T43 (5 back)

R2: T1

R3: 1 (by 2)

R4: T1

Cantlay’s Position by Round:

R1: T8 (3 back)

R2: T1

R3: 2 (2 back)

R4: T1

This was all about the flat stick for Na.

He finished 55^th (of 76) in SG: Tee-to-Green (-0.084), including 54^th in SG: Off-the-Tee (-0.824) and 54^th in SG: Around-the-Green (-0.546), but, was No. 1 in SG: Putting at a ridiculous 14.176.

Since the advent of ShotLink in 2003, Na is the first-ever winner – in full-field events – with a negative in SG: TTG.

His 14.176 SGP, however, is a new TOUR record, supplanting 14.044 by Kiradech Aphibarnrat when finishing T5 at the 2019 AT&T Byron Nelson.

Na also bagged another ShotLink-era record for most feet of putts made in a 72-hole event with 558'11". He canned 16 putts from greater than 10 feet, including three par-breakers from between 30 and 58 feet, and also drained two par-savers from between 21 and 23 feet.

This was Na’s 13^th Shriners, third top 10, each doubling as top 2s, and second win, joining the 2011 edition as a 54-hole co-leader. He’d missed the cut by four in each of his last two visits, and, in his last five, sandwiched a T2 (2016) around three MC’s and one WD.

The 36-year-old arrived off a MC by one at last week’s Safeway (71-72), and a T14 two weeks prior to that as defender at The Greenbrier (64-70-68-68). He’s the first winner who MC’d and then won in their next start since Jim Herman 10 tourneys ago at opposite-field Barbasol back in July. Interestingly, Na MC’d the PGA Championship prior to winning the 2019 Charles Schwab, finished T64 at the Quicken Loans before winning the 2018 Greenbrier, and MC’d the Deutsche Bank before winning the 2011 Shriners.

Cantlay, winner here two seasons ago, finished runner-up for a second consecutive edition. He co-led after 36 holes and led by one thru 70 holes after a two-shot swing at the par-5 16^th (Cantlay birdie, Na bogey).

Inexplicably, however, Cantlay then drinked his tee ball to the 175-yard par-3 17^th, coming up short and left and rolling back into the water, missing in the only place you didn’t want to.

Na, regains a share at 17 with a 22-footer for par, after having to play away from the hole from a greenside bunker.

At the last, Na got up and down for par from 87’5” away, while Cantlay’s birdie-bid to win in regulation from 24’2” missed by an inch.

Na becomes just the second player in 37 editions of the Shriners to win more than one, first since Jim Furyk in 1998-99.

Cantlay, chasing his third TOUR win in 87 career events, settles for his fourth runner-up, second in his last four starts dating to last season (2^nd, BMW Championship).

Na on Sunday:

After kicking off with 68-62-61, Rounds 2 and 3 the day’s low laps and R3 a week low and matching his career low (x3), he began with a two-shot lead over playing competitor Cantlay.

The South Korean-born American hit 10 (of 14) fairways and 12 greens in regulation, gaining 0.394 strokes off-the-tee but losing 1.933 approaching and 1.495 around-the-green.

His drops were two bogeys at holes 8 and 16 (second shot in the water), and triple bogey-7 at 10, where he took five to get down from 43 yards short of the green.

Na’s gains were six circles at 6, 7, 9, 12, 13 and 15, four from between eight and 28 feet, and also saved par two times from between nine and 23 feet, highlighted by a 22-foot 8-incher at the par-3 17^th.

He posted 1.583 putts per GIR and 2.271 SG: Putting with 29 total putts.

In extra time, the duo exchanged seeing-eye birdie-3s on the first tour of 18, Na’s from 9’5”, answering Cantlay from 10’2”.

On the second playing, both players were in the fairway, Cantlay 17 yards closer. Na to 24’1”. Cantlay woefully short to 43’1”; then Cantlay woefully short on his first putt, leaving 5’7”, which he missed.

Na raced his first putt by but made the come-backer from 3’9”.

OUT: 2-under 33 (3 birdies, 1 bogey); leads by 3 (over Cantlay)

IN: 1-over 37 (3 birdies, 1 bogey, 1 triple); WINS in playoff

For the week, he tallied two eagles and 26 birdies against four bogeys and one triple.

Na’s the fifth player (sixth time) since 1983 to shoot multiple rounds of 62-or-better in an event and just the second in two different stroke-play events. He sandwiched 73-70 at the 2018 Charles Schwab with 62 and 61 for solo 4^th, and then won the event the next season, including a 62 in R2. He’ s now recorded nine rounds of 62 or better in his career.

How Na Won the Tournament:

Ranked 1^st (or T1) in: Birdie to Bogey Ratio; Putts per GIR; SG: Putting; Total Putts

Ranked 2^nd (or T2) in: N/A

Note: See “Strokes Gained Leaders Stats” at the bottom, along with his full stats.

Lowest-Ranked Stat(s): 3+ Bogeys (T67); Proximity to Hole (60^th); SG: Tee-to-Green (55^th); SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Around-the-Green (54^th);

Na at Shriners:

Starts: 13

Top 25s: 7

Top 10s: 3

Top 3: 3

Wins: 2

Form (last eight): 1-MC-MC-2-WD-MC-22-1

Na’s TOUR Career:

Starts: 399

Cuts Made: 273 (68.4%)

Top 25s: 134 (33.5%)

Top 10s: 69 (17.2%)

Top 3s: 21 (5.2%)

Wins: 4 (1.0%)

Wins (by season):

2020: 1 (Shriners); 17^th season

2019: 1 (Charles Schwab)

2018: 1 (Greenbrier)

2017: 0

2016: 0

2015: 0

2014: 0

2013: 0

2012: 0

2011: 1 (Shriners); 8^th season

By the Numbers:

6/5: Na’s (and Cantlay’s) revised outright betting entering R4.

46: This was the fourth event with the new cut rule of top 65 and ties. Seventy-six (76) players made the cut, 17 (T60) on the number. Under the old cut rule, the same number would’ve made the cut, resulting in no difference. Through four events, 46 less players made the weekend as a result of the new cut rule.

54: Carlos Ortiz made just one bogey on the week, No. 1 in that stat, and was No. 1 in Scrambling at 100 percent (15/15). His one drop was a 3-putt from 41 inches (not a typo) at par-5 ninth in R1, his last hole. The North Texas alum then played his final 54 in blemish-free 12-under for T37 (70-65-67-69). Unfortunately, he conjured just 14 total birdies, which ranked T70 (of 76), but was No. 1 in Birdie to Bogey Ratio (14.00).

-1.507: Finau’s career-low 62 in R3 was a first in ShotLink history; in that his was the first 62 or lower where the player lost strokes on-the-green (-1.507). For the week, he ranked 1^st in SG: TTG (13.608) but 73^rd in SGP (-4.516).

3: Scottsdale resident Perez’ solo 3^rd is his 14^th top-3 finish in 448 events, first (individually) since his win at the 2017-18 CIMB 45 starts ago. He arrived off a MC by four last week in Napa (70-76).

T4: Hadwin has now opened the season with back-to-back top 5s. His T4 chases a solo 2^nd at last week’s Safeway. The Scottsdale resident ranked No. 1 in GIR at a blistering 90.28 percent (65/72).

T4: Defender DeChambeau closed with a day-tying-low 63 (paired w/ Hadwin) for T4. He owned a couple of top 25s defending his prior four titles but this is his first top 10.

T18: Matthew Wolff (67-69-68-65) birdied five of his final seven holes for T18, sharing top debutant honors (of 24) with Matthew NeSmith (67-68-65-69), who made his first cut on TOUR in nine events.

T18: Nine (of 21) TOUR rookies were in the field with NeSmith and Kristoffer Ventura (69-66-65-69) sharing top-rookie honors with T18s on 15-under 269. Ventura’s is a career best in seven events, previously T36 at the 2019 Valero on a sponsor exemption.

0: Through four non-team event this season, the pre-tourney fave/co-fave won zero times. Last season, two fave/co-faves won (in 45 non-team events): Rory McIlroy (12/1 co-fave) at THE PLAYERS, and Collin Morikawa at the Barracuda (10/1).

8/1: World No. 1 Brooks Koepka was a pre-tourney 8/1 fave outright. He missed the cut by four on 1-under 141 (70-71) in his season debut, his first MC since Bay Hill back in March. He entered ranked 2^nd on TOUR in Consecutive Cuts Made with 15.

18: Brian Gay, 47, posted a T7 for his first top 10 at the Shriners in 18 attempts.