Scott survives scare to win by two strokes
Adam Scott has another victory at Riviera, and this time it counts.
Scott survived a calamitous Sunday with just enough clutch putts – for birdie, par, even a bogey – and closed with 1-under 70 for a two-shot victory in the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.
Nearly a dozen players had a chance to win. Five players had a share of the lead at some point.
Riviera was such a strong test that everyone made mistakes, including Scott. He went long off the fifth green, had a flop shot come back to his feet, putted the next up the hill and made double bogey.
But he bounced back with a slick, scary 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth to regain a share of the lead, and he never trailed the rest of the way.
Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead when he went long on the fifth, took two flop shots to get on the green and then compounded the error with a three-putt triple bogey. McIlroy never recovered. His tee shot on the par-3 sixth went on the wrong side of the bunker in the middle of the green, leading to another bogey. He closed with a 73 and tied for fifth.
Harold Varner III, looking for his first PGA Tour victory, was tied for the lead until he tried to hammer a 3-wood on the reachable 10th hole and chunked it so bad it barely reached the fairway, traveling a mere 129 yards. That led to double bogey, and he made bogey on the par-5 11th to fall out of contention. His day ended by missing a 3-foot par putt that gave him a 74 to finish out of the top 10.
Tiger Woods had his problems, too, but he was never in contention.
Woods played a five-hole stretch late in his round at 5 over and shot 77 to finish last among the 68 players who made the cut.
Matt Kuchar, who started the final round tied with Scott and McIlroy, birdied the par-5 opening hole and didn’t make another until the 17th when it was too late. He shot 72 and tied for second with Sung Kang (69) and Scott Brown (68).
Scott finished at 11-under 273 for his first PGA Tour title since the World Golf Championship at Doral in 2016.
Hideki Matsuyama made the cut on the number and finished three shots behind in a tie for fifth with McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa and Joel Dahmen.
Steve Stricker of Madison closed with a 73 and was well off the pace.
LPGA Tour: Seven-time major champion Inbee Park saw a seven shot lead shrink to two shots before winning the Women’s Australian Open by three strokes to clinch her first title in almost two years.
Park, who finished with a 1-over 74, started her final round three shots in front of 19-year old South Korean compatriot Ayeon Cho. She bogeyed the ninth hole but still turned five shots ahead of the field and went out to a seven shot lead early on the back nine at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club.
But the 31-year-old former World No. 1 faltered briefly, bogeying the 14th and 16th holes and walking off the 16th green only two shots ahead of fast-finishing American Amy Olsen. Olsen had four birdies in a 3-under final round 70 and was in the clubhouse with an 11-under total of 281.
Perrine Delacour and Yu Liu also loomed into contention, though Liu faded with bogeys on her last three holes.
Champions Tour: Scott Parel overcame a three-shot deficit and closed with an 8-under 63 to win the Chubb Classic by two shots in Naples, Florida.
Bob Estes shot 64 and finished second, while Kevin Sutherland (67) and Bernhard Langer (69) tied for third.
Madison’s Jerry Kelly finished with a 69 and was back in the pack.