July 8, 2018 – Kevin Na – A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier

By Staff and Wire Reports of Global Golf Post

With 15 golfers within five shots of the lead heading into Sunday, including 2017 champion Xander Schauffele and Greenbrier resident Bubba Watson, Kevin Na emerged from the pack.

“It feels amazing. I see the record every time on TV – the most top-fives, the top 10s without a victory since 2013 – or whatever it is,” Na said. “And I’ve been close so many times, and when I won, it took me eight years to win, and I said to everyone, it’s not going to take another eight years to win another one, and this time it only took me seven.”

Na started the final round one shot behind 54-hole co-leaders Kelly Kraft and Harold Varner III. He birdied the par-4 fourth from 5 feet and he piled them on from there, making four more birdies on the front nine to make the turn in 29.

“Obviously, a big confidence boost,” Na continued. “It’s nice to get that second trophy. I saw that trophy when I walked on that tee every day, and it’s a beautiful trophy. I can’t wait to take it home. Most importantly today, I kept within myself. … For some reason, I thought it was my day, someone up there looking out for me.”

A text from Tiger Woods moments after his victory put the icing on the cake for Na.

Kraft and Varner finished with rounds of 70 and 71, respectively. Kraft finished second, and Varner shared fifth place with Joaquin Niemann, Austin Cook, Joel Dahmen and Sam Saunders.

Brandt Snedeker made a charge up the leaderboard on the final day, matching Na’s Sunday score with a 64. He finished in a tie for third with Jason Kokrak (closing 67).

Kraft, Snedeker, Kokrak and Cook earned berths in the Open Championship at Carnoustie next week by virtue of their finishes at the Greenbrier.

Phil Mickelson had another rules run-in on Sunday after he tapped down some long fescue grass with his foot in front of the seventh tee. Since the grass was in his intended line of flight, Mickelson violated Rule 13-2 and called a two-shot penalty on himself for improving his line of play. He finished in a tie for 66th after a closing 74.

Driver: Callaway GBB Epic (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-GP 6TX

3 Wood: TaylorMade M3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X EvenFlow Black

5 Wood: Titleist 915F (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana BF-80 X-Flex

Hybrid: Titleist 818H2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 95S

Irons: Titleist 716 T-MB (4-iron), Titleist 718 AP2 (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (54 degrees), Titleist Vokey Prototype (60 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Futura T5 MB

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R with one wrap of double-sided tape

Published with permission from Global Golf Post