Scott relevant again because of win, not putter

“I scored nicely, I putted well, I chipped quite well but Adam played great, he played better than me”, said Garcia. “That’s just down to my results”. You can talk it in your head and try and build yourself up as much as you want.

Speaking to Sky Sports after securing his 12th PGA Tour title, Scott said: “I’m so pleased”.

Scott finished at 9-under 271 and moved to No. 9 in the world, his highest in 10 months. That left Scott able to play the par-5 18th conservatively, play for par, which he made easily. This is Barber’s best finish on tour, and Thomas’ first top 10 since winning the CIMB Classic last fall. “I hit some good shots, but I didn’t feel like I was firing on all cylinders like I would like to”. “I got off to a dream start to set the pace and make sure it was me and Sergio for the whole day”. “I’m going to try and get better next week and it’s certainly validated making the move to the short putter”. “It’s some hard work, and I’m not afraid of that”.

This is Scott’s first win since beating Jason Dufner in a playoff at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2014. He switched to a long putter that he anchored to his chest at the Match Play Championship and when he won the Masters in 2013, he was the fourth player in six majors to use an anchored putting stroke.

The good-natured Scott also revealed he sent a long putter to Peter Dawson, former chief executive of the Royal & Ancient who was instrumental in the anchoring ban becoming a rule.

All the evidence he needed was the trophy he held on Sunday.

Gradually, though, the change bedded in and Scott, increasingly confident on the greens, produced three runner-up finishes in his last seven starts worldwide before at the Honda Classic ending a title drought of nearly two years. The 35-year-old Aussie stepped up to the first leg of the “Bear Trap” – holes 15-17 – with a one-shot lead Sunday, but this time knocked it on the green.

“My game’s come into a really good spot, the back end of last year and now starting out this year”, Scott said. “And therefore, good for me”.

Garcia was magnanimous in defeat, telling Sky Sports: “I think he deserved it. I am proud of the way I hung in there”.

“If I can get better and better, then I like what’s to come”. But it was a two-man race all day, and Scott seized control when Garcia missed a short par putt on No. 11 and Scott hit a fairway bunker shot to 2 feet for birdie on the next hole. Scott grabbed the lead with a 15-footer for birdie on the opening hole, then extended the lead to two with a 10-foot birdie on the fifth.

Garcia made birdie on the final hole for a 71, forcing Scott to convert his short par putt.

Scott’s 12th PGA Tour victory put him one ahead of Rory McIlroy at the top of the list of most wins recorded by current tour players aged under 40.

Scott, who got married and had his first kid in the last two years, believes finding that center off the course has helped him produce on it. But you know, just a couple bad shots on a couple hard holes, but Adam played great. That’s the good thing.

“I feel like I am getting better and better and today was a great test. I made some and missed some”.

Garcia finished three shots clear of Blayne Barber and Justin Thomas who shared 3rd position, further highlighting the separation the pair enjoyed from the rest of the field. Scott won 18 times around the world with a short putter, including The Players Championship and the Tour Championship.

Adam Scott is too good to have gotten buried by the youth movement and exhumed only when an opinion on the anchoring ban was solicited.