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Kevin Na falls just short of ending win drought at Frys.com PGA event

October 19, 2015
Kevin Na, left, talks with his caddie, Kenny Harms, right, on the 18th green of the Silverado Resort North Course after missing a par putt on the second playoff hole of the Frys.com golf tournament Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in Napa, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Kevin Na, left, talks with his caddie, Kenny Harms, right, on the 18th green of the Silverado Resort North Course after missing a par putt on the second playoff hole of the Frys.com golf tournament Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in Napa, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By Brian Han

Korean American golfer Kevin Na overcame a weakness in his game on Sunday at the Frys.com Open by closing out strong in the final round of a tournament.

Faced with a four-stroke deficit, Na completed his last six holes with four birdies in dramatic fashion.

On the 575-yard par 5 18th, he pushed his second shot to the right rough following a near perfect 300-yard drive. A short pitch landed five feet from the pin allowing him to birdie and force a playoff with rookie Emiliano Grillo.

Despite strong play all last season with a visibly improved game, Na surprisingly has yet to win a tournament since his first and only PGA Tour victory in 2011.

The two players met on the 18th tee box to determine a winner and after Grillo left himself a birdie putt from just three feet, it seemed like the match was over.

Na had a lengthy two-putt ahead of him.

But Grillo missed.

He lost at the Puerto Rico Open just seven months earlier in similar fashion, so the match became more about a game of nerves between the veteran and the newcomer.

They replayed the 18th, but this time it was Na that sealed his fate with a hard hooking tee shot. He ended up making bogey and gave up the trophy to Grillo who made an easy par.