Adam Scott (left) beat Sergio Garcia by one shot in Palm Beach Gardens.
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A small measure of satisfaction might come from the silence he hopes will follow: Yes, he still can win with a short putter. “If I came out at the back end of last year with the short putter and just had very mediocre results and no confidence and started really poorly this year, no confidence, I’d feel like I’m a long way behind that standard that was set”.
The good-natured Scott also revealed he sent a long putter to Peter Dawson, former chief executive of the Royal & Ancient who was instrumental in the anchoring ban becoming a rule.
Adam Scott, of Australia, holds up the ball after a birdie putt on the first hole during the fourth round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The victory is projected to elevate Scott’s world ranking to No. 9 entering this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.
“I got off to a good start, made one at the first, that definitely relaxed me. I went off by the applause by the fans off the green, and I thought, ‘OK, that’s got to be pretty good'”.
“Again, it just reassures me I’m on the right track with the things I’m doing on the greens”, Scott said. “But with my schedule upcoming, I think that gives me ample time to feel like I’m one of the best putters by the time I get to Augusta”. I grinded out a 4 on 16 after a slopped tee shot, and then back to hitting really good shots on 17.
Tied for the lead with Garcia with eight holes to play, Scott played steadier golf down the stretch to post a nine-under total of 271 as the Spaniard’s game unraveled.
It was a day when the last two groups told the tale for the leaders, Scott and Garcia in the penultimate duo playing at seven-under while Americans Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker, the 36-hole leaders, soared to a combined 13-over. If I made 3 [on No. 15] and I shot 62 or something, it would be one of the best rounds I’ve ever played. “I’ve got to keep working on making it happen”.
His margin of victory was a stroke over Sergio Garcia, with whom he was tied entering the final round.
Blayne Barber and Justin Thomas tied for third at five under, four shots off the pace.
“They were playing tough”, Garcia said of the back nine holes.
“I was just saying I had to make birdies to win this thing”, Thompson said.
What Scott did after hitting two shots into the water, on national television, knowing he was on the verge of ruining what for three hours had been a dominant day.
“You just want to know that the hole’s there and it’s possible to make one”. I felt like I stayed quite calm. “It was nice to hit some quality shots coming in”.
Scott didn’t seem overly bothered by the quadruple bogey, mainly because of the 17 other holes he played so well.
“It was a tough change in some ways but I fully embraced it when I chose to make it at the Presidents Cup a year ago”.
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Only a single hole prevented a rout – he made a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 15th hole on Saturday after hitting his tee shot into the water. “But it might be tomorrow that I can do that”.
