Kevin Na grabs fifth PGA tour title in Sony Open

It took 14 years for Kevin Na, a Korean-American male golfer, to reach the milestone of two wins in the PGA Tour. After his debut in 2004, Kevin won his first win in Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2011 in his 211th appearance in a PGA competition, and the second win came in August 2018 in a PGA Tour to a military tribute at the Greenbrier where he was seen holding his trophy in tears.

Once synonymous with tenacity, Kevin Na is finding himself at the top of major competitions in four seasons in a row. In the final round of Sony Open on Monday, the Korean American golfer finished at 21-under 259 and won the trophy, leaving behind his competitors including Chris Kirk (USA) and Joaquin Nienmann (Chile) at Waialae Country Club. The prize money is 1.18 million dollars. Having won his fifth PGA Tour, Na saw his FedEx Cup ranking and world ranking jumping up to 10th and 23rd, respectively.

Kevin, who started the final round two shots short from leader Brendan Steele (USA), bogeyed in hole 12, with the gap gaping further to three. But the Korean American birdied in three holes in a row to rise to the top alone. And in the last hole, Na landed his third shot in the one-meter zone and scored yet another birdie to secure a win.

“I had my ribs injured before the competition, so they said I should give up this time. I participated thanks to Cornel Driessen, and this journey brought me an unexpected gift,” said Kevin Na. “Thank you for your support. I am so happy to win, and I will see you in Korea someday,” the golfer added at the end of the interview in the Korean language, entertaining his Korean fans.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com