NAPLES, Fla. - Jason Kokrak and Kevin Na birdied 12 of their last 13 holes Sunday in better ball competition and closed with a 12-under-par 60 to rally from a three-shot deficit and win the QBE Shootout.
They were five strokes behind after a bogey on the par-3 fifth hole when they ran off nine straight birdies, seven of them by Na. It was Kokrak's turn down the stretch, and he made a six-foot birdie putt to seal a one-shot victory in Greg Norman's charity event.
Kokrak and Na - who share a swing coach in Drew Steckel and often play practice rounds together - didn't look to be part of the picture when they were even for the round through five holes. They made birdie on every hole but the 15th the rest of the way.
"We got off to a poor start," Na said. "We kept telling ourselves there are plenty of birdie holes out there. I started making some birdies, and we got hot."
Four teams had a chance to win over the final two holes at Tiburon Golf Club. Kokrak blasted a drive down the fairway before using a wedge to land the ball six feet below the cup. His final birdie staked the team to a two-shot lead, meaning the last two teams behind them had to hole out from the fairway to force a playoff.
Billy Horschel chipped in for a birdie from near the water as he and Sam Burns shot a 61 to finish one shot behind. They did not have a score worse than 62 in any of the three rounds (scramble, modified alternate shot, better ball) at the 12-team event.
Jason Day and Marc Leishman, who opened with a 56 and led by three shots after Saturday's round, couldn't keep pace. Leishman made a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th to get within one shot, but then Kokrak in the group ahead made birdie and the Australian duo had to settle for par. They shot a 65 and tied for third with Baylor School graduate Harris English and Matt Kuchar (62), who were trying to repeat as champions and win for the fourth time overall.
Kokrak and Na won the unofficial money event for the first time. Na won the Sony Open in January for his fifth PGA Tour career win. All three of Kokrak's PGA Tour wins have come within the past 14 months: the CJ Cup in October 2020, the Charles Schwab Challenge this past May and the Houston Open in mid-November.