It’s ‘no’ again for Na, who falls just short of winning Shriners Open
How much heartbreak can one man endure?
For the second straight week, Kevin Na let an opportunity for victory slip through his fingers, as the Las Vegas-based PGA Tour pro came up short in his quest for a second Shriners Hospitals for Children Open victory.
Na, the 2011 winner, had nearly won last week in Napa, Calif., at the Frys.com Open. He lost on the second hole of a sudden death playoff to Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.
On Sunday, Na tied Smylie Kaufman for the lead with two holes to play, only to chunk his second shot as he attempted to chip onto the green at the par-3 17th.
The eventual bogey and subsequent failure to make birdie at the par-4 18th cost Na, who was part of a six-way tie for second place at 15-under-par 269, one shot behind Kaufman.
“I feel like I have one of the best short games on Tour,” Na said. “I don’t know what happened on that chip (at 17).”
Na began the day two shots back at 11 under. He grinded away, picking up a stroke here, a stroke there, and eventually pulling even with Kaufman, who had the round of his life — a 10-under 61 — which put him in the lead at 16 under.
But even after disaster struck at 17, Na had one last chance to get even and force a playoff. He was on the green in two at the par-4 18th and 18 feet away for birdie, which would have gotten him back to 16 under and forced a playoff.
But the putt, which Na hit well, just went by the hole. He would have to settle for second with third-round leader Brett Stegmaier, Patton Kizzire, Cameron Tringale, Alex Cejka and Jason Bohn.
Kizzire, who shot a final-round 62, was thrilled with his finish.
“I really had some good stuff (Sunday),” he said. “It was to go out there and have some balls go in the hole and give myself a lot of chances.”
Na, searching for his second victory on the tour through 301 appearances, said Kaufman earned the victory.
“I’m sure he’s a great player, but I don’t know him very well,” Na said. “But he played a hell of a round, and hat’s off to him.”
FOWLER’S FINISH — Rickie Fowler, the betting favorite at the start of the tournament, never made a run at the leaders in the final round.
Fowler finished with a 68. It was a nice bounce-back from Saturday’s 70, but he needed to go a lot lower to contend.
“It was a fun week,” said Fowler, who finished tied for 25th at 9-under 275. “It was nice being back, a lot of positives coming out of the golf side. I’ve got some stuff to clean up, but I definitely enjoyed it.”
WALKER’S FALL — Jimmy Walker was two strokes off the lead entering the final round. But like a racehorse who gets stuck in the starting gate and loses all hope of winning, he stumbled early and played himself out of contention.
Walker opened with three straight bogeys, took a double-bogey at the par-4 No. 6 and went bogey-double bogey on 16 and 17 to finish with a nightmarish 78 and a tie for 50th at 280.
BOGEYVILLE — While No. 17 was a horror show all week, it was not the hole that yielded the most bogeys. That honor went to the par-4, 492-yard No. 3, where 125 bogeys were recorded along with 18 double bogeys and three triple or worse bogeys.
BIRDIELAND — The final hole statistics showed that the par-5, 560-yard 16th yielded the most birdies — 192. It also produced 24 eagles, by far the most of any hole.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
