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Las Vegas - South Korean-born American Kevin Na won his first PGA Tour title of an eight-year career, firing a six-under par 65 on Sunday to win the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Na, playing only a 10-minute drive from his home, had been winless in 210 PGA events before claiming the $756 000 top prize from the $4.4 million event by finishing 72 holes on 23-under 261, two strokes ahead of American Nick Watney.
"Oh wow," Na said. "I went through a lot. I had nightmares finishing second. I used to tell my mother, 'As hard as I work, when am I going to get my first win?' Other people believed in me more than myself."
Deadlocked with Watney at 20-under with four holes remaining, Na responded with three birdies in a row. Na curled in a 42-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to seize a two-stroke edge and matched Watney's par at 18 for the crown.
Na, a three-time career PGA runner-up who was most recently second-placed at last year's Arnold Palmer Invitational, had been third on the list of money winners without a tour title at more than $10.2 million.
Watney, who won the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship at Doral in March and the AT&T National in July, shared the lead with Na when the day began and fired a bogey-free 67 but could not become the PGA's first three-time winner of the season.
Na birdied three of the first four holes to seize a two-stroke lead over Watney but could not pull away. Na answered a bogey at the par-4 sixth with birdies at seven and the par-5 ninth.
But when Na took a bogey at the par-3 14th, he fell back into a share of the lead at 20-under with Watney, who birdied the third, seventh and par-5 13th to keep the pressure on Na.
Na responded with three birdies in a row, the last of them coming on a 42-foot putt at the par-3 17th to reach 23-under and seize a two-stroke edge on Watney, who only birdied the par-5 16th, as they approached the 18th tee.
Na had not three-putted all week and did not falter at the finish. Watney missed a 26-foot birdie putt to ease the pressure on Na, who dropped a six-foot par putt to complete the triumph.
Americans Tommy Gainey and Paul Goydos shared third on 266, one stroke ahead of compatriots Spencer Levin and Tim Herron, Canada's David Hearn, Sweden's Carl Pettersson and Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas.
Leading final-round scores on Sunday from the PGA Tour $4.4 million Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (USA unless noted, par-71)
261 - Kevin Na 67-63-66-65
263 - Nick Watney 65-67-64-67
266 - Tommy Gainey 67-67-64-68, Paul Goydos 66-66-66-68
267 - David Hearn (CAN) 69-67-66-65, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 66-67-66-68, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 63-67-69-68, Tim Herron 65-66-67-69, Spencer Levin 68-67-64-68
268 - Scott Piercy 67-65-70-66, Ben Crane 67-67-68-66, Kyle Stanley 69-64-69-66, Hunter Haas 71-61-72-64, Bryce Molder 68-66-67, Kris Blanks 66-65-66-71
Notable others:
269 - Charlie Wi (KOR) 64-66-72-67
270 - Stephen Ames (CAN) 71-67-65-67, Steven Bowditch (AUS) 67-69-66-68, Nick O'Hern (AUS) 71-67-63-69
272 - Nathan Green (AUS) 64-72-67-69, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 67-67-69-69, Rod Pampling (AUS) 65-70-66-71
273 - Martin Laird (GBR) 70-66-66-71
275 - Greg Chalmers (AUS) 68-68-69-70, Cameron Percy (AUS) 68-69-72-66
276 - Steve Elkington (AUS) 67-69-72-68
277 - Aron Price (AUS) 68-70-69-70
278 - Arjun Atwal (IND) 66-70-69-73
