As Scott slips, Every steps up for Bay Hill win
He rallies for first PGA Tour title in 93 career starts
Foor more than three
ORLANDO days, world No. 2 Adam Scott ruled over the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Then along came Matt Every. Scott, who opened with a course-record-tying 10-underpar 62, held a seven-shot lead after 36 holes and led by three shots after 54 holes, couldn’t hold off Every on Sunday at Bay Hill.
While Scott said he felt out of sorts en route to a closing 76, Every, who started the day four shots behind, shot 70 to win his first PGA Tour title in 93 starts. Every’s fate wasn’t sealed until Keegan Bradley, playing in the final group with Scott, missed a birdie putt from 31 feet on the final hole that would have forced a playoff.
“I can’t believe I won,” said Every, who had four top-10s in 10 starts this season heading to Bay Hill. “Being so close out here can be kind of discouraging because if you don’t win, you wonder if it’s ever going to happen. … You’re used to losing out here because you lose nearly every week, and you forget sometimes how it feels to win. ... It’s a relief. I tell you, I just took what it gave me today. I didn’t drive it great. I made a ton of putts. It just worked out.”
Every, who took the outright lead for the first time with birdies at 12 and 13, finished at 13-under 275, with Bradley shooting 72 to finish one shot back. Scott, who had three bogeys in his first seven holes and five in all, made one birdie and finished in third place at 277. Jason Kokrak, who shot 73 on Sunday, was another stroke behind in fourth.
While Every will be heading for the first time to Augusta National for the Masters, Scott was trying to find some mojo in his final tune-up before beginning defense of his green jacket in three weeks.
“I somewhat achieved what I wanted out of coming here,” said Scott, who will spend Monday and Tuesday at Augusta National. “Playing in contention over the weekend was fun. I identified a couple of areas I’ll be working on in the next couple of weeks.
“I think the putting has let me down. Today was a bit shaky. This course was asking a lot of everyone, and my short game wasn’t there. It shows that I need to do a bit more work on it to hold up under the most pressure.”
Scott was equally dejected with his failure to close out a 54-hole lead. He famously let a four-shot lead slip away with four holes to play to lose the 2012 British Open and last year gave up a four-shot, 54-hole lead in the Australian Open.
“I’m annoyed that I didn’t do better today,” Scott said. “Sometimes you’ve got to be hard on yourself. I had an opportunity to run away with an event and really take a lot of confidence. I’m taking confidence anyway with some good play, but some opportunities you’ve got to take.
“I just didn’t give myself that many chances. The couple good putts I did hit didn’t go in. It’s no excuse. I need to do a little more work on the putting. The last couple of times in this position it was not what I would like.”
Bradley fell back with a double-bogey 5 on the second hole and three-putt bogey on the third. But he didn’t lose hope and made birdies on 12, 16 and 17.
“I thought I made the putt on 18,” he said. “I played well. I got a lot out of this week. But Matt Ev ery just played awesome.”