After an almost-seven-year wait, Kevin Na returned to the PGA Tour winner’s circle Sunday at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier. His final round 64 on the Old White TPC, which included a stretch of six birdies in seven holes, led to a five-shot victory over Kelly Kraft.
With Na having come close on multiple occasions between the two victories, there was understandably a lot of emotion during the trophy presentation. It was poignant that first to congratulate him on the 72nd hole was defending Greenbrier champion Xander Schauffele, who played alongside Na on Sunday; Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters champion who owns a home at the Greenbrier, also congratulated Na on #18.
So with Na having finally answered the question of when he would win on Tour again, what does the rest of the season hold?
Recent history shows that those who win at the Greenbrier use that success to kickstart the remainder of the season. In 2015, Danny Lee emerged from a four-man playoff to win his first (and to date, only) event as a pro. The New Zealand native would finish tied for third the very next week at the John Deere Classic, recording three more top ten finishes (including a T2 at the Tour Championship) en route to an appearance in the Presidents Cup.
Last year, Xander Schauffele came into White Sulphur Springs riding the momentum of his T5 at the US Open. His consistent performance of 64-69-66-67 included a last-hole birdie to win his first PGA Tour title. The California native also won the Tour Championship, earned Rookie of the Year honors, and has continued that success into five more top 10 finishes this season, including a T6 at the US Open.
So can Na keep his momentum going? Sunday’s win has taken him to 18th in the FedEx Cup and 13th in the Ryder Cup rankings. He won’t play again until the Open Championship in two weeks at Carnoustie, but how he fares in the first round on July 19th could be very telling as to how his week, and perhaps the rest of his season, will play out.