AFP, Miami :
Kevin Na and Jason Kokrak combined for 13 birdies in a 12-under par 60 in the four-ball final round of the QBE Shootout on Sunday to win the unofficial PGA Tour event by one stroke.
Even for the day through five holes, the American duo dominated the Tiburon Golf Club course in Naples, Florida, from there. Na birdied seven holes in a row as they seized the lead and Kokrak birdied five of the last six holes as they finished two strokes in front of Americans Billy Horschel and Sam Burns.
Australians Marc Leishman and Jason Day, who led after each of the first two rounds, settled for a tie for third with Harris English and Matt Kuchar-the defending champions who were gunning for a fourth title in the event hosted by Greg Norman.
“We got off to a poor start, and we just kept telling ourselves there’s plenty of birdie holes out there, kind of kept cheering for each other,” Na said.
“I started making some birdies and we got hot.” Na’s run of seven straight birdies starting at the sixth hole included one from the fringe at the seventh and a chip-in from off the green at the ninth.
After his birdies at 10, 11 and 12 put them in the lead, it was Kokrak’s turn.
After his back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 Kokrak tapped in for birdie at 16 and 17. Crucially, after Na had missed his birdie attempt at 18 Kokrak drilled his own birdie putt to cap their 60 and give them a two-shot cushion.
They needed it, because Horschel, after nearly finding the water at 18, holed out for a birdie.
Horschel had chipped in for birdie at the ninth, and birdied after almost acing the par-three 12th.
He and Burns finished with an 11-under 62 that gave them solo second on 32-under par.
Na said that during his birdie streak he’d looked at Kokrak and asked “hey, man, when are you going to show up?
