[서울신문] 3 holes reverse buddy show… Kevin Me, that’s great!

Sony Open total 21 under par 1 stroke win
5 wins in PGA career… Jump to 23rd in the ranking
“I am a fighter who overpowers opponents with putt
Rider Cup and Presidents Cup participation goals”

Honolulu AFP Yonhap News” style=”padding:0px;margin:0px”>

▲ Korean-American golfer Kevin Naga kisses the trophy after winning the PGA Tour Sony Open, which ended at the Waialay Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii on the 18th (Korean time).
Honolulu AFP Yonhap News

Korean-American Kevin Na (38, Na Sang-wook) performed a’reverse show’ with a three-hole birdie in a row and reached the 5th top in the history of the American Professional Golf (PGA) tour.

In the fourth round of the Sony Open held at the Waialay Country Club (par 70, 7044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on the 18th (Korean time), Kevin I blocked with 1 bogie and picked 6 buddies, reducing 5 strokes, and a final total of 21 under par 259 He beat Chris Kirk (USA) and Joaquin Neiman (Chile) with one stroke to win. The prize money is 1.188,000 dollars (about 1,111 million won).

Kevin I, by this, lifted the fifth trophy in the PGA Tour’s career in one year and three months after the opening of Schreiners Children’s Hospital in October 2019. In particular, after winning the Military Tribute in July 2018, the consistency of winning one victory for four consecutive seasons stood out. Kevin I said, “All thanks to 18 years of experience,” about the secret to consistency after winning the championship. “If I win, I feel confident and then it seems to be a little easier.” He added, “The support of my family is also important,” and “I want to repay them all.”

Kevin I, who cut nine shots at once the day before, entered the final round with a tie for second place two shots behind Brendon Steele (USA). Until the first half, the steel firmly reins. In the match play that had been chasing and chasing from the champion group, Steele won the Eagle at the 9th hole (par 5) and fell behind by three cars. It was in the 13th hole (par 4) that I found the clue of winning the reversal. Kevin I, who had been pushed out of the second-placed group, cut the gap with Steel by two strokes by dropping the birdie putt after struck an iron shot with an iron shot left 218 yards from the rough left of the fairway.

In the following hole 14 (par 4), Steele accidentally wrote down an approach shot, and he added a birdie again to join the lead group of 4 people, and in the 15th hole (par 5), he put a second shot of 136 yards 1m from the flagpole. By dropping the third hole Buddy, he jumped to the sole lead at once.

Kirk, who started two pairs earlier, was a 20-under-par co-leader with a birdie on the last hole 18 (par 5), but Kevin Na also took the third shot from the 18 hole 50cm away from the pin and calmly caught the birdie to prepare for extra time. It made Kirk shrug.

Kevin I said, “I’m happy to start this year with a championship, and I look forward to the remainder of the year.” Kevin, who raised the world rankings from 38th to 23rd last week with this victory, said, “This year’s goal is to re-entry within the 20th place in the world and to participate in the Ryder Cup, which is a match between the US and Europe, and the Presidents Cup, which is a match against the international team.” In particular, he said, “I am a fighter. “I know that I can beat my opponent with a few putts,” and “I will be a good choice for the team.” He said in Korean, “Thank you for your support. I will see you again in Korea someday.”

Staff Reporter Choi Byung-kyu [email protected]