Round 4: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open
October 2 2011
11:05 pm
Players making early Fall Series moves
Kevin Na may have hit the jackpot this week in Las Vegas but there were a number of others making waves. Here are some of the players needing strong Fall Series showings that got off to good starts and made upward moves at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Some of the players listed below are closing in on securing their TOUR cards while others have just taken the first step on a long uphill climb to the top 125.
Keep in mind that there are just three events left for players to try and get into the top 125 and secure their TOUR cards for the 2012 season. It took $786,977 to finish inside the top 125 on the money list in 2010.
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10:10 pm
With this victory: Kevin Na
To the victor goes the spoils. Here are some of Kevin Na’s spoils after claiming his first victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open:
• $792,000 winner’s check moves him from 50th to 33rd on the TOUR money list
• Fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR through the 2013 season
• Tee times at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, PLAYERS Championship, the Memorial and the PGA Championship among other events
• Removed from the list of top money earners without a victory. Na was No. 3 behind Briny Baird and Brett Quigley heading into this week.
More on Na’s victory:
• Led the field in Strokes Gained – Putting (10.441), taking just 108 putts in his four rounds.
• Victory came in Na’s 211th career start. He has 29 top 10s and 58 top 25s
• Na had once previously held a lead or co-lead entering the final round. He tied for 2nd at the 2005 Chrysler Classic of Tuscon
• He’s the 16th player in his 20s to win on TOUR this year
9:25 pm
Na gets breakthrough win in Vegas
By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM
Three times a runner-up. Five times a third-place finisher. Kevin Na finally broke through with his first PGA TOUR victory Sunday at TPC Summerlin.
Na birdied three consecutive holes late in his round, capped by a 40-foot bomb on the par-3 17th, to put away a two-shot victory over Nick Watney at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open near his home in Las Vegas.
“I’m just very excited about my first win,” Na said. “It wasn’t easy. Nick was coming right behind me, looked like any time he was going to make a move, and I tried as best as I could to stay one step ahead of him. I think the putt on 17 basically sealed the deal for me.”
The 28-year-old who now has 29 top-10 finishes in his 211 career PGA TOUR starts said this week didn’t really feel much different down the stretch than his previous near misses.
“Maybe a little bit, but nothing ridiculous different, but I think I was a little more comfortable,” Na said. “Maybe because I was in my hometown, my home course, but I think I was definitely ready. And I was mentally ready, physically ready, and it was just time for me to win.”
Na hopes this Fall Series victory leads him to more successes a la Matt Kuchar, who won in the ’09 Fall Series before leading the TOUR money list in 2010, and Bill Haas, who won last year’s Fall Series Opener then went on to claim this year’s FedExCup.
“I told everybody, once I get my first win, the wins are going to start rolling in,” Na said. “And I think it’s like that for a lot of the guys. You look at a lot of the guys that have struggled, that have been good players that have struggled for their first win, and once they get that first win, it seems like a lot of guys go on and win a bunch of tournaments.”
Na won his lone Nationwide Tour event in the western U.S. (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and now adds this victory at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas for his second on the major U.S. tours. If the home field advantage thing continues to work, Na has a plan to broaden his range of victories.
“Hopefully I’ll keep winning,” Na said. “(I’ll try to) keep winning here, and if I want to win a tournament somewhere else, I guess I gotta move to maybe Augusta or something.”
For now, Na will settle for his newfound residency among the champions of the PGA TOUR.
8:38 pm
Watney hopes to take lessons overseas
By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM
Nick Watney didn’t have something to pin the loss on, but he knows he didn’t convert his chances Sunday at TPC Summerlin.
Watney’s back-nine 34 was his highest total on that side this week. He took a disappointing par for the second day in a row on the drivable par-4 15th but was in position to again tie for the lead on the par-3 17th. While looking at a putt inside 20 feet on, Watney saw leader Kevin Na hole a 40-footer, his third consecutive birdie, to pull two shots ahead.
Watney was unable to answer, missing his birdie try, before both players parred the 18th. Na was the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open champion and Watney was two shots shy of a third 2011 victory.
“Well, I didn’t make as many putts as I would have liked, and Kevin made a bunch of them,” Watney said. “So all the credit goes to him … It’s definitely disappointing, but you know, I just take what I can learn and go on to the next one.”
There were some lessons to be learned for the four-time TOUR winner. Watney was playing in his seventh event in nine weeks and Sunday’s runner-up finish was just his second top 10 in that stretch. That’s a far cry from the numbers Watney had in January through July: 15 starts, eight top 10s and two victories.
“I learned how serious I was taking it, how badly I wanted to play well the last couple months, an that didn’t always translate into good golf,” Watney said. “So this week I came in here with no expectations. I just took it very easy and played pretty nice. So I’m going to (try and) take it a little more easy and hopefully this will carry over into China.”
Nick Watney has the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions (Nov. 3-6) in China and the Presidents Cup in Australia (Nov. 17-20) on his upcoming schedule
That Presidents Cup appearance, the first for the world’s 11th-ranked golfer, is something Watney is looking forward to. He talked about “tightening up” his wedge game to give himself a chance at being a bigger contributor at Royal Melbourne.
“I think it’s definitely cliche, but I just have to take care of myself and win the matches that I can,” Watney said. “We’re definitely going over there to win, and you know, that’s what we want to do. But as far as I’m concerned, just need to try and win my matches and hopefully we’ll get enough points.”
7:54 pm
Watch: Na birdies No. 17
This long birdie putt on the 71st hole helped to lift Kevin Na to his first career PGA TOUR victory.
Na birdies No. 17 in Round 4 at TPC Summerlin
Kevin Na holes a 42-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 17th hole.
7:44 pm
Herron into top 100, left with ‘what ifs’
Tim Herron moved into the top 100 on the money list with his tie for 5th at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. But the week could have been so much more.
After missing a 12-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 15th,Herron was still 19 under, one shot behind leader Kevin Na, when he teed off on the par-5 16th. After laying up from the left rough to have a 131-yard approach, Herron found the water short of the green on his third shot. The subsequent double bogey dashed his hopes of a return to the winner’s circle.
“I don’t know if I wasn’t committed or something,” Herron said. “I don’t know what happened. I actually had a good number. It was a nice firm wedge. I had 130. The wind was swirling, so maybe I just didn’t do it.”
Herron finished with pars on the final two holes and settled at 17 under, tied with David Hearn, Carl Pettersson, Jhonattan Vegas and Spencer Levin, six shots behind Kevin Na.
Herron, who hit the same wedge on No. 18 over the green noted that if he could have swapped his approaches from Nos 16 and 18, that his round, and result, would have been much different.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner hasn’t notched a victory since 2006 but has had a resurgence of sorts this year with three top-10 finishes now. He’s still anxiously looking forward to a chance at returning to the winner’s circle.
“I wanted a chance to win,” he said. “I don’t have many chances, so I’m disappointed with that. So anyways, go onto next week.”
Herron is scheduled to tee it up at CordeValle Golf Club next week in the Frys.com Open.
7:07 pm
Congratulate Na on his victory
Kevin Na is a first-time PGA TOUR winner in his eighth season, winning the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open in his hometown Las Vegas. Want to congratulate him? Leave a comment below and we’ll pass it along to Na.
7:06 pm
Na earns first victory in Las Vegas
Kevin Na birdied holes 15, 16, and 17 and parred the 18th to stay at 23 under and hold off Nick Watney and win the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on Sunday at TPC Summerlin.
Na, a Las Vegas-area resident, has been close many times before but never broken through with that first victory. Making his 132nd career start, Na put together rounds of 66-65 on the weekend to break out of ties following the second and third rounds.
The victory moves Na to 33 on the PGA TOUR money list.
6:42 pm
Update: Na up by two with one to go
Kevin Na may be about to end his PGA TOUR winless drought. He’s going to the 18th hole with a two-shot lead over Nick Watney after birdieing the par-3 17th hole, his second birdie in three holes. Watney has been unable to answer over that span.
5:55 pm
Update: Watney, Na tied for lead
Nick Watney stood on the teebox at the par-5 13th two shots behind Kevin Na. He now heads to the drivable par-4 15th tied for the lead.
After a birdie on No. 13 cut Na’s lead to one, the leader hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker on No. 14 and went on to bogey the hole, dropping into a tie with Watney at 20 under.
Tim Herron is now just one shot behind the co-leaders at 19 under. Two back ar Carl Pettersson, Jhonattan Vegas and Paul Goydos.
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