GOLF PHOENIX OPEN : Henke’s Second Win Hard for Him to Believe

Nolan Henke, preparing himself for the worst, surprised himself by winning the Phoenix Open golf tournament.

Henke rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday, ending a back-nine collapse and beating Curtis Strange, Tom Watson and Gil Morgan by one shot.

“I can’t believe winning. I can’t believe it went in,” Henke said. “I tightened up on the back nine. I wanted to stay away from bogeys, and it kept happening on every green. I just tried to relax on 18 and think of what I had to do, and it went in.”

Henke, whose only previous victory in his three years on the PGA Tour was last year’s B.C. Open, finished with an even-par 71 for a 16-under total of 268.

The victory was worth $180,000, more than half of what Henke, 26, earned last season.

Morgan and Strange bogeyed the 18th hole to fall to 15 under with Watson, winner of 32 tour events in 21 years but winless since the 1987 Nabisco Championship.

Watson became the early leader with a 65 that included birdies on five of the last six holes.

Morgan shot a 66 and Strange a 67 on the 6,992-yard TPC course.

Henke, who led from the second round, started the day with a four-stroke lead over Robert Wrenn, made the turn at 17 under and then birdied the 10th hole for a three-shot lead over Strange.

But Henke bogeyed the par-five 13th, the par-five 15th and the par-three 16th to fall to 15 under.

Henke’s tee shot on 18 was 171 yards from the green. He used a seven-iron to get to 18 feet and rolled in his birdie putt.

“Up to then, I was basically beating myself,” Henke said. “Walking up to the green on 18, I didn’t think I could make the putt. Then I saw the line and thought maybe I could do it.

“I was real fortunate. Curtis has won so many times. I don’t know what happened to him. I thought he was going to win, the way he was making birdies.”

Strange wouldn’t talk with reporters after the tournament.