HONOLULU — Three photographs behind with six holes to play, Kevin Na birdied three straight holes and completed with an up-and-down birdie from behind the 18th inexperienced for a 5-under 65 and a one-shot victory within the Sony Open.
Na gained for the fifth time in his PGA Tour profession, and this one appeared unlikely when he three-putted for bogey on the twelfth gap at a time the place there was no room for errors.
He answered with birdie putts of 15, 10 and 6 ft, and the profitable shot was out of the proper tough on the par-5 closing gap at Waialae and ran simply over the again of the inexperienced. He chipped to tap-in vary for his final birdie.
Na completed one shot forward of Joaquin Niemann and Chris Kirk, and solely certainly one of them received a comfort prize.
Abbotsford, B.C. native Nick Taylor completed in a three-way tie for eleventh place at 17-under par. Taylor fired a 3-under 67 in his closing spherical. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 4-under 66 to finish his event in a six-way tie for nineteenth place at 15-under. Brights Grove, Ont. native and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir completed in a tie for forty seventh place.
Niemann chipped in for birdie from 55 ft on the par-3 seventeenth and received up-and-down with an extended bunker shot on the 18th gap for a 66. Even so, he was runner-up for the second straight week in Hawaii. The 22-year-old from Chile was 45-under par in two occasions with out a trophy to indicate for it.
Kirk closed along with his fourth straight spherical of 65 — that wasn’t sufficient to win on a gentle Waialae with no wind — and his robust pitch from under the 18th for birdie proved to be large.
Kirk stepped away from golf in Might 2019 citing alcoholism and despair, a daring transfer that’s paying off. He was given a medical extension to make up for misplaced time, and this was the ultimate occasion for him to regain full standing. Needing practically 150 FedEx Cup factors on the Sony Open, his tie for second was value 245 factors.
As for Brendan Steele, it was one other 12 months of disappointment in paradise, this yet another of a gradual leak. Steele final 12 months had a two-shot lead with two to play and wound up shedding in a playoff. This time, he made an 18-foot eagle putt on the ninth gap to take a three-shot lead into the again 9.
He three-putted the straightforward tenth gap from practically 80 ft, and his recreation was so tentative the remainder of the way in which that he didn’t have a birdie probability inside 30 ft till the seventeenth gap. That was from 10 ft to tie for the lead, and he missed that. Steele additionally did not birdie the 18th and closed with a 69.
Na gained for the fourth consecutive season, and he attributed the late surge to being joyful at dwelling along with his spouse and two kids. He appeared comfy even when the Sony Open gave the impression to be slipping away.
As soon as he made the 15-footer on the thirteenth gap, he began strolling them in.
“I knew there was a whole lot of birdie holes left,” Na stated. “I used to be having enjoyable on the market.”
Webb Simpson matched the low rating of the ultimate spherical with a 64 and tied for fourth together with Steele and Marc Leishman, shot shot 30 on the again 9.
Na completed at 21-under 259 and is assured of returning to Hawaii for 2 weeks subsequent 12 months, beginning with the Event of Champions at Kapalua. That course will be too large for him. Waialae proved to be an ideal match.
