GOLF ROUNDUP
Na wins by 5 in West Virginia
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.VA. — Kevin Na rode a hot putter to halt a winless streak of nearly seven years on the PGA Tour.
Na shot a 6-under-64 for a five-stroke victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Na's only previous tour win came in Las Vegas in October 2011.
"I wasn't sure if it was going to come again. I was hoping it would — sooner than later," Na said. "I've been close so many times, failed so many times."
He's had three dozen top-10 finishes since that last win and showed signs earlier this year that reaching the top again was still well within reach. He tied for second at the Genesis Open in January, two shots behind Bubba Watson. In late May he shot 61 in the first round of the Fort Worth Invitational to match the course record and finished fourth.
Starting Sunday's round one stroke behind coleaders Harold Varner and Kelly Kraft, Na birdied six of his first 10 holes to open a big lead on the Old White TPC, and he cruised from there. The only blemish on his card was a bogey on the par-4 11th after driving into the rough.
Na finished at 19-under 261 and picked up the $1.31 million winner's paycheck. He improved 40 spots to No. 18 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Kraft shot 70 and finished second at 14 under. Brandt Snedeker (64) and Jason Kokrak (67) tied for third at 13 under.
By the time he strolled up to the 18th green, Na was at ease, relaying his love to his wife and young daughter toward a TV camera. He cried during a television interview after the round as he relayed a message in Korean to his overseas fans.
"I didn't want to leave the Korean fans out," Na said.
LPGA TOUR
ONEIDA, WIS. — Sei Young Kim became the first player in LPGA Tour history to go lower than 30 under in a performance so dominant in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic that she now has the tour scoring records all to herself.
Kim closed with a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a nine shot victory, finishing at 31-under par. That broke by four shots to par the record Kim had shared with Annika Sorenstam.
She also set the 72-hole scoring record at 257, finishing with a par to break the mark by one shot.
EUROPEAN TOUR
DONEGAL, IRELAND — Scottish golfer Russell Knox rolled in almost-identical birdie putts from around 40 feet on the 72nd hole and the first playoff hole to win the Irish Open on Sunday.
After Knox made birdie on No. 18 to set the clubhouse target at 14-under par, Ryan Fox of New Zealand missed an 8-foot birdie putt that would have won him the Rolex Series event.
They went back down the 18th hole for the playoff and Knox pitched from 131 yards to virtually the same spot on the green. His long birdie putt curled left to right and into the cup.