PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — “Desperate.’’
That was Adam Scott’s word. He said it Saturday when addressing how badly he needed a win after going on nearly two years without one.
Scott did not shy away from the gravity of the moment when addressing the share of the 54-hole lead he had with Sergio Garcia entering the Honda Classic final round at PGA National.
And, with the tournament on the line Sunday afternoon, Scott did not shy away with his golf clubs, either, seizing the victory by shooting an even-par 70 to finish at 9-under for the tournament, one shot better than Garcia, who shot 71, and three shots better than Justin Thomas and Blayne Barber.
“Look, I said [Saturday] I was desperate for the win and I was, because I was in this position,’’ Scott said. “I want to feel somewhat relevant still out here when it comes to being one of the best players in the world. That’s just down to my results. There’s no other way you can talk it in your head and try and build yourself up as much as you want, but at some point, you’re going to have to have the results to actually prove it and achieve.’’
The victory is projected to elevate Scott’s world ranking to No. 9 entering this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.
Scott, who is 35 and at one time held the No. 1 world ranking, was asked if he felt like he was being “left behind’’ by the likes of young guns Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day the past couple of years.
“Probably, if [the winless slump] dragged on a bit longer,’’ Scott said. “You can’t be too reactive to things. [But] time does pass quickly. It’s amazing in a couple weeks how quickly things turn around. I’ve played really well the last couple of weeks, and a couple of those guys who were so outstanding last summer haven’t played that great in the last couple of weeks.
“You feel like the gap is really not that big at all. So you’ve got to keep some things in perspective and not get panicky. But I know my window is much smaller than Jordan, Rory, Rickie [Fowler], Jason and a whole list of other good, young players. So I can’t afford to sit back and just wait for it to happen. I’ve got to keep working on making it happen.’’
Scott did that this weekend with resilience. Resilience won this golf tournament for him, beginning with the way he handled the quadruple-bogey 7 he took on the 15th hole with two shots rinsed in the water Saturday, turning a three-shot lead into a one-shot deficit at the time.
Scott recovered to play the final three holes of his third round in 1-under to finish with a 66 that could have been much better, and Sunday he stepped to the 15th tee, shed any demons, hit a good shot onto the green and calmly parred the hole.
“I’d be lying if I said I just didn’t even think about [Saturday],’’ Scott said. “[Saturday] was a phenomenal round of golf. 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. But I didn’t and that’s the game. It’s a shame but I’ll try again another time.’’
Sunday’s round had a bit of a see-saw effect. Scott got to 11-under and took a two-shot lead with a birdie on No. 5, but bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 dropped him back into a tie with Garcia, who was struggling to make birdies (he had two in the round, the second of which was too-little-too-late on the last hole).
Scott regained the two-shot lead on the par-3 17th, where he made par and Garcia, with his tee shot in the left rough, took bogey. That left Scott able to play the par-5 18th conservatively, play for par, which he made easily.
When it was over, the look on Scott’s face was less elation than it was relief. It, too, should be noted that this was his third start of the season using the short putter since the ban on the longer, anchored putter took effect at the start of 2016.
“It’s just getting tougher and tougher to win out here,’’ Scott said.
It certainly is. Just ask Garcia. He’s won three of 13 times when entering the final round with at least a share of the lead, including 0-for-his-last-5.
“It felt like a battle,’’ Scott said. “It wasn’t elation. At the end, there was definitely a sense of relief and just satisfaction, and quite happy that that was over and I managed to hang on.’’