Kevin Na overtook Brendan Steele in the final round of the Sony Open and leaves the 50th state with the title, his fifth career win on Tour.
Brendan Steele had some unfinished business to attend to in the final round of the Sony Open. After losing this event in a playoff a year ago, Steele entered Sunday’s final round with a two-shot lead and looking to close the deal.
Once again, however, Steele leaked too much oil coming into the clubhouse, and once again he failed to pad his PGA Tour win total. Instead, Kevin Na will leave the 50th state with the title, his fifth career win on the PGA Tour.
The final holes at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu turned into a horserace and three other players emerged to challenge Steele. When Steele bogeyed the 14th, he slipped out of the solo lead at 20 under and into a share of the lead at 19 under with Chris Kirk, Na and Webb Simpson.
Na got on a heater on the back nine, running off birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 15 and making a clutch par putt at No. 17 to keep his chances alive.
“I felt pretty comfortable all day,” Na told Golf Channel after the round.
He called this victory validation for his 18 years on Tour. It took 14 for him to claim his first title. He has now won four times in the last two and a half years.
Coming down the 18th, Na shared the lead with Kirk at 20 under. Kirk was already in the clubhouse, and headed out to the range to warm up for a potential playoff. It was not to be, however.
After Na flew the 18th green with his second shot, he chipped up to a foot and made the putt for birdie and the win.
With 18 holes left in Honolulu, 16 players are within five shots of the lead, 22 within six shots. Weather has moved up Sunday tee times.
Brendan Steele is in position to take care of some unfinished business.
Steele led last year’s Sony Open in Hawaii by three shots with two holes to play but couldn’t close it out and eventually lost in a playoff to Cameron Smith. A year later, he’s right where he wants to be to exorcise that haunting defeat.
Steele posted a bogey-free, 9-under-par 61 in Saturday’s third round at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu and will take a two-shot lead into the final round. The 61 is the lowest round of the week (Kevin Na finished an hour earlier than Steele with a 61 as well). Steele obviously likes the iconic Seth Raynor design hard by the sea and has 22 birdies against just four bogeys in 54 holes.
“The first practice round we played was on the back nine and I was remembering some shots, some good and some bad, kind of kicking myself a little bit,” Steele said. “You hope that you come back and you play well and erase whatever negative memories there are, but all the memories are pretty positive.
“Playing great here last year was good, and I’m excited for the challenge tomorrow. I’m swinging really well and my course management is very good. The putts are really feeling good even if they don’t go in. I’m very happy all the way around.
“I know it’s going to be really tough. Guys are coming after me. But I’ll just do my best and hopefully it will be enough.”
Steele is right; a lot of guys are coming after him. He was one of six players who held at least a share of the lead in the third round. The final round could be similar as the leaderboard is stacked.
He is two shots clear of Na and Joaquin Niemann (63), who lost in a playoff to Harris English in last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Five players are three back at 15 under – Peter Malnati (64), Charley Hoffman (64), Chris Kirk (third consecutive 65), Russell Henley (65), and Stewart Cink (65), who won the season-opening Safeway Open.
Four back at 14 under are third-round leader Nick Taylor (68), Keith Mitchell (63), Daniel Berger (64) and Marc Leishman (65).
Four players are at 13.
In all, 16 players are within five shots of the lead, 22 within six shots.
“I know I’m going to have to go shoot a great round,” said Steele, who is looking for his fourth PGA Tour title and first since the 2017 Safeway Open. “I know it’s going to be really hard. There should be a lot of birdies out there even with the wind picking up a little bit. I know I’m going to have to shoot one of the best rounds I’ve ever shot to go win it. So that’s what I’m going to go try to do.”
After three glorious days at Waialae, conditions could be very different in the final round and it could be a soggy sprint to the finish. Tee times were moved up two hours because of the potential for late afternoon showers. As well, as Steele said, the winds are expected to strengthen.
“If it’s soft, you can be more aggressive out here,” said Hoffman. “Obviously the wind is the protector on this golf course. If the wind is blowing, par is a pretty good score. If it’s just raining and soft, I expect a lot of birdies.
“I don’t think the forecast is for too much wind, so I expect guys to still keep making birdies out here, and you’ve got to go low tomorrow and keep it going.”
Kevin Na and Keith Mitchell are in contention after low rounds Saturday at the Sony Open.
Kevin Na was walking in putts again.
A lot of them.
Na made an eagle and four birdies in a five-hole stretch in Saturday’s third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii and closed with one last birdie on the 18th to rush up the leaderboard on another windless, sun-splashed day in the Aloha State.
When Na was done walking in putts – which is becoming his popular signature move – he put his name to a scorecard that was bogey-free and added up to an 9-under-par 61 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
Starting the day five shots out of the lead, Na moved to 16 under with the best score this week. Na is two shots behind leader Brendan Steele, who matched Na’s 61 later in the round.
“I played fantastic. My ball-striking was great and the fact that I had an outside look at a magic number, 59, was exciting. It was fun,” said Na, who is aiming for his fifth PGA Tour title. “I hit it really good and gave myself a lot of looks, and I made my share of putts. It’s not like it was an extremely hot crazy putting round. If I can keep this up, keep this ball-striking up, I’ll have a good look tomorrow.”
And Na knows he has to do just that in the final round.
“The golf course is so gettable that somebody can go shoot 8- or 9-under,” he said. “I am in a good position but it’s what you shoot Sunday. I’m still going to need a low one tomorrow.”
Na was playing with Keith Mitchell, who has become somewhat of a large good luck charm for two playing partners this week. Mitchell was playing with Nick Taylor in the second round and each shot 62. Mitchell was in Na’s group and nearly matched Na’s score.
Mitchell is looking for his second PGA Tour title but has struggled since winning his maiden victory in the 2019 Honda Classic. In 44 starts since then, he has just three top-10s and 18 missed cuts. His best finish this year has been a tie for 45th in the RSM Classic.
Keith Mitchell plays his shot from the 14th tee during the third round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at the Waialae Country Club on January 16, 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
It looked to be another one of those weeks for Mitchell after he opened with a 71. But he then birdied 16 of his next 32 holes and followed up his second-round 62 with a 63 to get to 14 under.
“Definitely turned it around,” Mitchell said. “It’s been fun to see some good scores go out there. I think one point I was 3-over in the first round, so to be where I’m sitting right now, it’s pretty cool.”
Mitchell credited his putting for the turnaround.
“I changed probably everything about my putting,” he said. “I putted horrible. I’m just trying to get over my putts and take one look and hit it. I was trying too hard, trying to be perfect. I love bermuda greens, so just going back to my old feels and trusting them.
“I literally try to do nothing over a putt, take care of zero and do nothing and fortunately it’s been working a lot better than trying as hard as I can.”
And playing with Taylor and Na hasn’t hurt things.
“It’s real easy to get some mojo when your group is playing well,” Mitchell said. “Felt like a battle between the two of us each day. When you have it in a group you take it for granted but it really helped a lot. It’s great because when there’s good, positive energy, you just feed off of it. It’s rare to have that.”
Na agreed.
“It’s nice when you and your playing partners are making a lot of birdies, you’re seeing a lot of good putts and a lot of good shots,” he said. “We were egging each other on, giving each other fist-pumps. We had a good time.”
Kevin Na was so good Friday, he did a walk-off. When a 30-footer on No. 15 crawled toward the hole, he lifted his putter in the air.
Golfers love to do the walk-in, moving toward the hole when a putt appears to be falling into the cup.
Kevin Na was so good Friday, he literally did a walk-off.
Na was making everything in sight, and when a 30-footer on No. 15 started tracking toward the hole, he lifted his putter in the air and walked off the green as the ball dropped in.
When the first-round scramble format of the QBE Shootout was over, Na and playing partner Sean O’Hair had walked off with a one-shot lead following a 16-under 56 over Ryan Palmer and Harold Varner III. Saturday’s format is modified alternate shot.
“I had a couple walk-offs today,” said Na, who got in the field when Sungjae Im withdrew three weeks ago. “One of them was on 15 and then on 17, you know, halfway there it looked like it was going in, I started walking sideways or backwards.
“It was a good feeling. The greens were rolling pure out there, the golf course is in great condition. If you hit it online, it’s going to go in.”
Lanto Griffin and Mackenzie Hughes, who are tied for third along with Matt Kuchar and Harris English at 14 under, were simply in awe watching Na.
“I wanted to say ‘Good putt’ on 17 before he even hit it,” Griffin said. “You had that feeling that anything he hits, it’s just going to go in the hole.”
“His putt on 17 was kind of the one where I was like, ‘Man, if this goes in, it’s beyond incredible,'” Hughes said. “There was one time on the back nine where it was like a
15-footer and my caddie and I were like, ‘Do you want odds on this one?’ I’m actually like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to bet against him,’ and he made it.”
O’Hair was making the putts early, when they were on pace to shoot 18 under for 18 holes. But they parred No. 13, and then nearly bogeyed No. 16 before Na made it.
“It felt pretty easy today just watching him putt and make everything he looked at, just kind of kept the momentum going,” O’Hair said. “There was a couple putts that were crucial I think to do that. We had a birdie putt on No. 14 that he made, that was a tricky little putt. Then he made a nice par putt on No. 16 and kept the momentum going, and that putt he hit on No. 17 was just unbelievable, and he hit a good putt on 18 that probably should have gone in.
“I felt like just if he was in play, hit it as hard as I could and try and hit it as close as I can, but it’s a nice feeling when you feel like your ball’s on the green, you have a good chance of making birdie because he’s putting so well.”
Palmer and Varner had the first-round lead with a 55 last year, and ended up tying for third. Varner joked they had a different strategy.
“We were thinking about it, we just didn’t really want to be front-runners,” Varner said. “We didn’t do well with that, so we just want to cruise right there just behind.”
Varner even had some fun with his playing partner, who is 44 and 14 years older than he is.
“I’ve got a great partner,” Varner said. “He’s really old but he carries me all the time, so I’m super thankful for that. And I’m so excited Christmas is right around the corner.”
O’Hair has plenty of experience in the Shootout. This is his 10th straight, and he won it with Kenny Perry in 2012 and Steve Stricker in 2017. He’s played with major champions like Jason Dufner and Mike Weir, and LPGA Tour star Lexi Thompson last year.
“When I was told I was playing with Kevin, I loved the pairing,” O’Hair said. “I know he’s great with his short game and his putter and keeps it in play. I think it just kind of is a perfect partner to kind of free me up and let me be as aggressive as I possibly can.
“I’m happy to be a test dummy on the greens, especially when he’s making everything he looks at. I love the pairing. We get along great, the vibe was fantastic out there, so it was a lot of fun.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com.
Kevin Na and Sean O’Hair lead the QBE Shootout after making 12 birdies and two eagles to card a 56, just one shot off the tournament record.
NAPLES, Fla. – Harold Varner and Ryan Palmer combined to make 15 birdies, didn’t make a bogey and put their signatures to a 15-under-par 57 in Friday’s first round of the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club.
And they don’t have the lead.
It was that kind of day – triggered mostly by the scramble format – that led to eye-popping scores among the 12 two-man teams. With little wind and both players hitting tee shots, then taking the best shot and both hitting from there, and so on, the 12 teams combined to average 59.5.
Leading the way was Kevin Na and Sean O’Hair, who made 12 birdies and two eagles to come home with a 56, just one shot off the tournament record in the scramble format.
Yet they’re just one shot ahead of Varner/Palmer and just two clear of the teams of Lanto Griffin/Mackenzie Hughes and Matt Kuchar/Harris English. Two teams – defending champions Kevin Tway/Rory Sabbatini and Tony Finau/Cameron Champ – each shot the magical 59 and trail by three shots.
“Obviously we would have taken 58 before we started, but we feel like we left a couple out there and that’s probably good going into tomorrow, it didn’t feel like we stole the whole day,” Griffin said. “I think we’ll be hungry (Saturday) and we’ll have a little different format.”
Palmer smiled when asked if it felt goofy to shoot 57 and still trail by one. But he wasn’t shocked considering the format and the caliber of players.
“You have to go low, especially in this format,” Palmer said. “We left a couple out there. We had 105 on 15 and made par. We had a 12‑, 15‑footer for eagle on 17 that was pretty makeable and missed.
“It wasn’t that easy. It’s playing longer because how soft it is, a little breeze. You’ve still got to play some pretty good golf to get there.”
Scores won’t be as low in Saturday’s second round as the format changes to modified scramble. O’Hair, who is looking to win this tournament for the third time with a third different partner – he won with Steve Stricker in 2017 and with Kenny Perry in 2012 – said the key to victory can be found on the greens.
“You have to putt well,” he said. “If you don’t putt well, if you don’t make putts, you’re going to finish in the bottom of the pack in this event. So you know guys are going to bring it. Tomorrow’s a tough format, the toughest format, but I think as long as we just keep it in play and make a few putts, we’ll be right there come Sunday.”
Can Kevin Na win a major before his PGA Tour career ends? Na said at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the Masters is his best shot.
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Kevin Na: Masters champion.
Could it happen?
Na, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, has never won a major, but said Wednesday ahead of defending his title at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the Masters Tournament is his best chance of earning a major title.
“I feel like the Masters I have the best chance at,” Na said Wednesday. “The way it sets up, there is no rough. You have to be a great chipper and a putter of the ball, and I am. I feel like Masters is a major that I can — I want to really focus on. … I have chances (to win a major), but I just got to pick the right venue. Yes, it’s a goal of mine to win one.
“Do I think I can win one? Yes, at the right venue, and hoping the Masters.”
Na’s finishes at Augusta National have been T-46 (2019), missed cut (2017), 55 (2016), 12th (2015), 59 (2013), 12th (2012) and missed cuts in 2011 and 2010.
Na, who began his professional career in 2001, said venue selection will factor into whether he can win a major at this point in his career. The 37-year-old said when the rough is thick, like at some PGA Championships and U.S. Opens, the event favors long hitters. See Bryson DeChambeau at Winged Foot.
“I feel like I’m at such a disadvantage,” Na said of his distance. “It’s really hard to overcome that disadvantage, and we’re seeing that every year of these bombers overpowering these golf courses. The last few majors I have played, I’ve been very disappointed. Obviously the last tournament I played was the U.S. Open and was it very disappointing.
“Am I trying to do something to change that? Yes, I am. I’m working on things, not drastically, but trying to improve my distance, whatever I can, to play better in those majors.”
Kevin Na during the first round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. (Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports)
Na missed the cut at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot after shooting rounds of 75 and 77. His best results in the other three majors are T-10 at the 2011 PGA Championship, seventh at the 2016 U.S. open and T-22 at the 2016 Open Championship.
Na recognized that the competition he faces in all tournaments continues to get stiffer as younger stars like DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa are challenging the Tour’s top contenders and distance is becoming more of a factor. But neither of those factors bother Na much.
He just has to stay consistent and keep working hard.
“I think if I play my game at the right places, I’m going to get my share of wins and I’m going to do just fine,” Na said. “But like I said, the scheduling, I have to be very picky about what I play and where I play. That’s just my game. I don’t think I want to change that. At my age, I don’t think I can make too big of a change (when it comes to how I play). Think it’s too big of a risk.”
While the first Masters on the 2020-21 PGA Tour schedule is just round the corner — Nov. 12-15 — Na’s performance at the Shriners is his focus this week.
Although he is the reigning champion, Na is a wildcard this week at TPC Summerlin as his finishes on the course have been full of highs and lows. Lucky for Na the highs have been super high. Since 2010, Na has recorded three top-10s, including two wins and a second-place finish, in nine appearances. He has also finished in 22nd and 45th, missed three cuts and withdrew once in 2015.
The lows haven’t gotten him down though. He’s optimistic about this week.
Kevin Na celebrates with his daughter, Sophia, after winning the 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
“You know, I feel like when I’m playing well this is a golf course I can win at and I can go low. … Something about this place I feel comfortable,” Na said. “I know the greens. I can putt well on them. But when I’m not playing great, I think I expect so much that it can be a little disappointing during the round.
“It’s hard to get really pumped up when maybe I’m even par through 12 or 13 holes, whatever that might be. I think that’s why you see couple of the missed cuts.”
Na’s looking to defend his title at TPC Summerlin after defeating Patrick Cantlay in a two-hole playoff last year — the only playoff out of four he’s won on Tour. In 2019, Na finished 72 holes at 23 under after shooting rounds of 68-62-61-70. His third-round 61 tied a career low and led him to his second Shriners title after previously winning the event in 2011 for his first Tour title.
Na said what went so well for him last year was his putting which helped him get “focused and in the zone.” He doesn’t even remember missing any putts last year.
“If I can putt like that again this week, I feel really good about my chances winning again,” Na said. “I have the same putter, so maybe lightning can strike twice.”
After his attempt to defend his 2019 title at TPC Summerlin, Na plans to play next week at the The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek also in Las Vegas.
Na, who lives in Las Vegas, is excited to play back-to-back tournaments at home.
“When am I going to ever be able to play two tournaments in a row from home? Probably never. This is probably the first and the last time that will ever happen,” he said.
Na tees off his first round at TPC Summerlin Thursday alongside Cantlay and Rickie Fowler at 3:05 p.m. ET from the first tee.
Several big names missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, including two of the top five players in the world ranking.
The PGA Tour is back and the Charles Schwab Challenge heads to the weekend at Colonial Country Club.
Harold Varner III, in search of his first Tour victory, takes the solo lead at 11 under into the third round. Jordan Spieth, who is trying to shake a three-year funk that has dropped him to No. 56 in the world rankings, is tied for second at 10 under with Bryson DeChambeau.
But there is a slew of big names who will not be around for the action, including two of the top-five players in the World ranking.
Defending champion Kevin Na is leaving Fort Worth, Texas, after just 36 holes. He shot 72-67 to miss the cut by a shot.
Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia also missed the cut by a single stroke.
Tom Lehman, who on Thursday shot a 65 to mark the first time since the Tour started recording such stats in 1980 that anyone older than 60 fired a round a 65 or better, is not sticking around. He posted a second-round 74 to miss the cut by one.
World No. 2 Jon Rahm posted scores of 69-71 but at even par, he missed the cut by two shots. Phil Mickelson (and his shiny shades) and shot 69-71 so he’s heading home. So is Sung Kang, who made the first hole-in-one during the Tour’s Thursday restart. Turns out he could’ve used another ace somewhere along the way.
Dustin Johnson, No. 5 in the World ranking, also missed the cut after he shot 71-71 to go 2 over.
Rickie Fowler, who agreed to wear a mic during Thursday’s first round, shot 73-69 to go 2 over and miss the cut by four shots.
Ryan Palmer, the golfer chosen to hit the very first shot on Thursday morning, officially re-starting the Tour season, is not sticking around after shooting 72-72, 4 over.
Saturday’s third round is set for Saturday morning.
While this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge gets PGA Tour players back in the swing of their daily work routines, it’s not business as usual.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Smartly seated in his plaid jacket, Kevin Na smiled and waited for the rest of the question. In what has become a standard ritual for Americans through recent months, the video conferencing system used by the PGA Tour was buffering, and Na, who won here 13 months ago to earn his jacket, was forced to politely wait until the connection with a reporter was restored.
“I think we’re losing you,” he said, his voice trailing off. “Want me to start again?”
Having a group of scribes asking the previous year’s tournament winner about their victory is hardly out of the ordinary. But having Na tell his stories virtually from one location at Colonial Country Club while a small group of reporters sits watching on computers from a quarantined space about 200 yards and a few walls away? Well, that’s unique.
The PGA Tour is the first major sport to return to action, but while this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge gets pro golfers back into the swing of their daily work routines, it’s hardly business as usual.
There are no fans, no grandstands, and the traffic that would typically clog the neighborhood is almost non-existent. Volunteers and media members start the day by walking through an airport-like thermal screening system, and everyone who comes to the event is asked a series of COVID-19-related questions after having their temperature taken.
Golf is back, but it’s certainly different. And players like Na, who shot a 4-under 66 in the final round for a four-shot victory over Tony Finau in 2019, can sense it.
“This is very different for us. We’re not used to playing without fans. We’re used to — we’re more used to ropes, grandstands and fans down the ropes. The golf course looks empty. I mean, obviously, it is empty. It’s such a different look without grandstands and fans,” Na said on Wednesday, less than 24 hours from the beginning of his title defense. “I don’t know, I think the players are not going to be as pumped up in some situations because of that, because of the atmosphere, but I think once you tee it up and you’re focused, you’re still going to feel a little bit of the jitters and you’re still going to be so focused and into it you kind of forget about it.
“We’re disappointed there’s no fans, and we hope to get to have fans soon.”
Since announcing it would be the first sport to fully resume action, PGA Tour officials have insisted that a series of strict protocols would be put in place, keeping players and caddies as safe as possible.
Truth be told, while “the bubble” is in place, the Tour has only offered guidelines for players, and can’t readily enforce any action plan.
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For example, numerous Tour players and caddies were walking the streets of Fort Worth on Tuesday. And on the course, few masks were to be seen — mostly by volunteers. None of the players or caddies on-site were wearing masks and numerous members of law enforcement were also lacking PPEs.
“Yeah, social distancing is obviously important. But for me, the way I look at it, me and my caddie, I’m going to do the same things to my caddie that I’ve been doing my entire career. You look at any other sport, I’m pretty sure LeBron James isn’t going to worry about setting a pick when there’s contact about social distancing. Football, you’re not going to worry about tackling a guy because of social distancing,” Brooks Koepka said. “It’s just one of those things. Like my caddie has been at my house quite a bit. He’s staying with me this week, and I have no problem standing right next to my caddie. He’s been tested, I’ve been tested a couple times. It’s part of, I guess, the sport.”
The TV broadcast will be different, too, as CBS Sports and the Golf Channel are teaming up to help reduce the number of bodies on the course. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy said he hopes golf seizes this opportunity, not just to show fans that golf can be played and enjoyed safely, but all sports.
“I think this week is very important because golf will be the center of the sports world, which it usually a few weeks a year is, but for people to have something to watch on TV where they actually don’t know the outcome I think is going to be nice for them. So I think that’ll be a good thing,” McIlroy said. “And yeah, I think it’s an important week because golf can show that we can play in a socially distant manner. We can conduct a tournament and adhere to all the safety protocols that have been put in place.”
Nothing about this is easy, though. After months away from each other, players were eager to catch up, huddle together, swap stories and feel like the workday was typical. The bubble might be helping to protect the players, but as some have insisted, the players need to make sure they don’t let that bubble provide a false sense of security.
“… It is going to be very easy to fall back into old habits because it’s just what we’ve done. I’d say for the viewing public just to give the players and the caddies a little bit of leeway in terms of if they see something on TV that isn’t quite right. We’re having to figure it out as we go along, as well,” McIlroy said.
Caddie Kenny Harms had a feeling that boss Kevin Na was going to win the Charles Schwab Challenge and wasn’t afraid to ask for the keys to the winner’s car.
There are usually some perks to being on the winning bag at a PGA Tour event – a little something extra for the effort, as Carl Spackler once elegantly put it – but a car?
That’s what happened at last year’s Charles Schwab Challenge, where the tournament winner was awarded a glacier-blue 1973 Dodge Challenger that had been fully restored by Steve Strope, who is renowned for his custom work on American muscle cars from the 1960s and ’70s.
Kevin Na pocketed the $1.314 million paycheck and donned the tartan winner’s coat, but the keys to the car went to longtime caddie Kenny Harms. It has to go down as one of the coolest gestures to celebrate a victory.
“I don’t know of a better one,” said Harms, who has caddied for the likes of Hall of Famers Hale Irwin, Raymond Floyd and Hubert Green since 1991 and worked for Na for more than a decade.
Harms’ wheels have been making the rounds at some car shows, including SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in Las Vegas, and so Harms says he’s only put about 400 miles on his prized possession.
The car buff already owns a 1998 black Porsche 911 Carrera convertible and a 2006 Porsche Cayenne, but he had his eye on the Dodge Challenger as soon as he spotted it on Tuesday of tournament week sitting along the 10th hole at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
“It was kind of silent before everyone teed off and I said, ‘Hey, Kevin, when we win, I’ll look a lot better than you in that car with my baby blue eyes. When we win it, you’re going to give me the car, right?’ ” Harms recalls. “He kind of looks over at the car, looks at me, looks back at the car a second time and says, ‘Yeah, if we win.’ I said, ‘No, when we win.’ He said, ‘All right, I’ll give you the car if I win.’ For some reason, I kept saying, when we win. I had the weirdest feeling we were going to win that week.”
Colonial has been Na’s personal ATM for several years, but victory had eluded him until now. He cruised to a four-stroke victory and flipped the keys to Harms.
“It doesn’t drive like a typical ’73 Dodge Challenger,” said Harms, who once ponied up $200 to buy a ’73 rusty green Camaro, his first car. “The only thing that is original is the shell of the car. Everything else has been replaced. I’m told it was bought for $20,700, stripped it down to the metal and they put $180,000 in parts and $200,000 in labor into it. It’s a piece of art to me.”
In two weeks, we’ll be back to live PGA Tour golf and many of the world’s top-ranked players are ready to go.
In two weeks, we’ll be back to live PGA Tour golf and many of the world’s top-ranked players are ready to go.
The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial CC in Fort Worth, Texas, has commitments from the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking: Rory McIlroy (1), Jon Rahm (2), Brooks Koepka (3), Justin Thomas (4) and Dustin Johnson (5).
Furthermore, seven of the top ten players in the world and 15 of the top 20 are in the field, including Patrick Reed (T-7) and Webb Simpson (9).
Thomas committed just this week, as did Xander Schauffele (12), Tony Finau (16) and Shane Lowry (20).
Adam Scott (6), Patrick Cantlay (T-7) and Tommy Fleetwood (10) are the three top-10 players who are not in the field yet. The OWGR is as of May 28. The ranking is updated weekly. Golfers have until 5 p.m. local time on Friday, June 5 to enter.
Tiger Woods, currently ranked 11th in the world, has not committed to the Schwab.
Kevin Na is back to defend his title. His four-shot victory in the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge came with a $1.314 million winner’s check, the Leonard Trophy, a Scottish tartan plaid jacket and a fully restored 1973 Dodge Challenger, which he then gave to his caddie Kenny Harms.
Defending Charles Schwab Challenge champion Kevin Na tells @AmandaGuerraCBS what the transition will be like getting back to competitive golf@CSChallengeFW will be the first PGA Tour event back held June 11-14 on CBS pic.twitter.com/5PBKCAsnKU
