Kevin Na produced a putting masterclass over the four days of action in Nevada to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. World number 24 Na’s putting was nothing less than sensational over the course of the tournament as he set a PGA Tour record for feet of putts made in a 72-hole event.
The American circuit has been tracking putts since ShotLink arrived in 2003 and the 36-year-old set the new benchmark at 558 feet, 11 inches over the regulation 72 holes, while he finished with an incredible +14.263 in Strokes Gained: Putting. Both Na and Patrick Cantlay were tied on -23 after the regulation 18 holes on Sunday, two strokes clear of third-placed Pat Perez, and the duo had to duke it out in a tense play-off.
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After halving the first extra hole with birdies, it was Na who held his nerve to hole a knee-jangling four-footer at the second play-off hole to land his second title at TPC Summerlin, having won his debut event at the venue back in 2011. It was a sensational performance with the flat stick and the two-time La Vegas champion revealed his delight after sinking that winning putt on the 74 hole.
“I should have kissed it after I won. I’ll give it a kiss when I get home,” Na joked of his Toulon Madison putter with a graphite shaft when speaking to pgatour.com. “I feel like I’m a pretty good putter. “I’m a player that I feel like I get better as I get closer to the greens. That’s a strength of my game, a part of my game that gets stronger. Putter got hot this week. Tends to do that sometimes, and when it does, if I’m hitting it halfway decent I feel like I can win.”
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