Scott shot an even-par 70 on Sunday to win the Honda Classic with a 9-under par at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.).
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The Australian world No. 13 outdueled his Spanish playing competitor Sergio Garcia as he carded an even-par 70 in the final round on the PGA National layout.
He played really, really solid.
Sunday’s victory was Scott’s first on the PGA Tour since he won the Crowne Plaza Invitational in 2014. Scott switched back for good at the Presidents Cup past year. In the end, the Australian’s consistency was enough to maintain the lead until the final putt. Not as many went in as yesterday but this is a tough track – it is hard to get it close all the time. “The course was playing tough, different wind, which makes it very challenging”.
“Today it felt like a battle; it wasn’t elation, ” said Scott, who won for the first time in 21 months.
“I love Perth and the golf course”.
“I hung in there as long as I could”, Garcia said. I feel really happy with where the game is at. “It’s some hard work, and I’m not afraid of that”.
The fourth-ranked American recorded nine birdies – against a lone bogey on the 16th – for an overall 16-under 200.
Shin takes 2-stroke lead: GOLD COAST, Australia – South Korea’s Jiyai Shin shot a 2-under 71 to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Australian Ladies Masters.
He’ll move up the world rankings from his No. 19 spot. “It’s going to reward great shots and punish those that are a little off. Hopefully I’ve gotten that out of the way”. “I’m just going to try and get better every week”. I didn’t feel like I hit that bad a shot on 17 but I got a pretty bad bounce. His shot of the day came on the par 4 12th with a fairway bunker shot landing less than one metre from the pin to set up birdie. Shin had a 54-hole total of 10-under 209.
“That was a round changer”, Thompson said. He didn’t make another birdie until the 18th hole, and that was to break 80. But if my ball rolled down the slope to four feet and walking out with an eagle always helps on the scorecard there…. “I can’t be disappointed with it, because without feeling great I nearly won”.
“Good for me because maybe we don’t have to go over it too much anymore”.
Although he birdied the 18th, his back-to-back bogeys proved decisive and it was Scott who was celebrating. It was his first victory in almost two years. There wasn’t just satisfaction winning with the short putter.
“But there was a gentleman from Canada who was very persistent, and sending me audio tapes with his secrets”. I played with him the last two days, and he looked awesome.
Scott will like that, because he knows there was only one way to answer the irritating question dogging him into this new year.
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With the $240,000 first-place check, Thompson has earned $4,814,510 in career money and is now 56th on the career money list. World No 3 McIlroy, the 2012 Honda Classic champion, again struggled with his putting and iron play as he strung together a roller-coaster 72 that included a triple-bogey at the fifth, a double at the 15th, four birdies and a bogey.
