‘HURT’ SCOTT VOWS TO DO BETTER
A DEVASTATED Adam Scott says he will approach the majors with renewed vigour after capping a lean two years with a valiant display at the US PGA Championship.
Scott answered the pressure of a major championship final grouping with a complete performance at Missouri’s Bellerive Country Club, but he was ultimately no match for a dominant Brooks Koepka.
Big- hitting American Koepka fired a fourunder- par 66 to earn a 16- under total and a two- shot win from 14- time major champion Tiger Woods ( 64), with Scott ( 67) outright third at 13 under.
Koepka claimed his third major in 14 months after successfully defending his breakthrough 2017 US Open victory at Shinnecock Hills this year. Playing in the final pair alongside Koepka, Scott bagged three birdies at the beginning of the back nine to join the Florida native in a share of the lead with five holes remaining.
The last one was a laser of a 4- iron from 248 yards that settled 6 feet away, sending him to a dream finish.
“That will probably go down as probably one of the best shots I’ve ever hit under pressure,” Brooks said.
But Scott missed a crucial birdie putt at the par- 5 17th, which would have cut Koepka’s lead to one, before a sloppy bogey at the 18th.
“It really hurt that I missed that, just not to make it interesting up the last,” Scott said.
“I’m pretty disappointed with myself that I couldn’t play the last three holes better.”
Five years on from his storybook win at the Masters, the 38- year- old is already looking ahead to next year’s Masters and beyond with a firm belief he can earn a second career major title.