Scott Officially Wins Genesis Invitational As Woods Stumbles Home

Adam Scott fired a final round of one-under-par 70 to win the Genesis Invitational, and this time the Australian’s victory at Riviera Country Club is official.

On a challenging day that saw world number one Rory McIlroy card a two-over-par 73 and tournament host Tiger Woods stumble to a six-over 77, Scott countered two bogeys and a double-bogey with five birdies to build an 11-under total of 273.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to win a tournament of this stature on a golf course of this stature, even better to come out on top and have your game really tested. It was not easy,” Scott said.

He said the key with Riviera playing firm and fast was to “take away the big mistakes” and while he didn’t manage to do that completely, he did it better than most.

Scott’s big miscue came at the par-four fifth, where his flop shot from behind the green rolled back to his feet and he wound up with a double-bogey.

McIlroy, who started the day tied for the lead with Scott and Kuchar, fared even worse at the fifth, where he also needed two flop shots to reach the green but then took three putts for a triple-bogey.

While Scott bounced right back with an 18-foot birdie putt at the sixth, McIlroy made a bogey and never really recovered.

Scott gave himself a bit of breathing room with a 12-foot birdie at the 13th, but for him the shot of the day was a flop shot at 15, where he limited the damage to a bogey after his approach was plugged in a greenside bunker and he blasted out through the green.

“I was in a horrible position then,” Scott said. “I thought, you can maybe win the tournament if you hit a great flop shot here, so I thought I might as well just go for it.”

Scott rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt at 17 to push his lead back to two strokes, and he closed with a par to hoist the trophy at Riviera for a second time. He came out on top in a playoff in 2005, but since the rain-soaked event was shortened to 36 holes he wasn’t credited with a US PGA Tour victory.

Woods who was gunning for a record-setting 83rd US PGA Tour title, was 15 off the pace to start the day, before dropping five shots in his last six holes as he stumbled home with a six-over-par 77. Seven bogeys, a double-bogey, with one birdie and an eagle for on 11-over par total of 295 put the 15-time major champion firmly in last place instead.

“Good news, I hit every ball forward, not backwards, a couple sideways.” said Woods, whose lone birdie at 17 came when he holed out from a bunker, after failing to get on his first attempt.