Kevin Na rolled in a 6-footer for birdie and the lead in Round 1 of the Sony Open in Hawaii after shooting a 9-under 61.
After his play, Golf Channel’s Steve Burkowski questioned Na about the origins of walking-in putts.
“I’ve always done it,” said Na, the defending champion of the tournament. “No one thought that was cool until the Big Cat emulated me,” says the narrator.
Na was referring to a matchup between Tiger Woods and Na in the third round of the 2019 Players Championship. As you can see in the video below, Na nearly picked his ball out of the hole on the par-3 17th hole before it reached the bottom of the cup. Amused, the woods followed suit from a distance of 2 feet.
“It appeared as if he was going to snag it before it reached the hole.” Woods noted at the time that he had to “draw his hand back and slow it down.”
Maybe the best thing you’ll see today 😂 pic.twitter.com/REIKqLc8wc
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 16, 2019
“I figured I’d have some fun with it, but I had to make sure I got it right first.”
Na was walking in putt after putt at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Thursday, and he was 8 under par through 12 holes. However, he only scored one birdie over his final six holes on the par-70 course, missing a 59 by two shots.
“Coming down the stretch, I wish I had walked a couple more,” Na added.
