Scott digs deep for Byron Nelson win
IN: News | US PGA | EDS Byron Nelson Championship (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 28 Apr 2008
Adam Scott today won his sixth USPGA Tour event and his second in Texas when he holed an improbable 50 foot putt at the third extra playoff hole at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas to deny Ryan Moore of his first USPGA Tour victory.
Scott’s last minute decision to play the event paid huge dividends with his victory worth US$1,152,000 and assures him of a significant move back well inside the top ten of the world ranking but as much as those bonuses are attractive so too will the confidence he will gain by being able to dig deep when he needed.
“Yeah, I dug it out of nowhere, I think, a little bit today. You know, I lost my lead early and it was a bit of a battle. I really couldn’t get anything going. Got one back after 15 which was disappointing.”
“The last three holes were downwind fortunately, which was making play a lot easier. I hit a great shot into 16 and set up birdie. It was a good chance for eagle there, and a really good lag putt on 17. And 18, you just have to make birdie. That was it. And I hit a good drive and had a good yardage in, so took advantage of that.”
“I kind of got away with it, I think, today. A bit lucky, and certainly the putt on the third playoff hole was pretty lucky to go in.”
Another big earner was his caddy Tony Navarro who secured himself a Cadillac in innovative promotion of ‘a caddie for a caddie’ where the winning caddie picks up a sporty new Cadillac – nice work if you can get it.
The final round developed essentially into a battle between the 25-year-old Moore and the 27-year-old Scott. Scott had started the final round with a three shot lead but on a cold and breezy day Scott struggled early on dropping three shots in his first five holes and Moore was then within one. Moore birdied the 7th and 8th holes and by the turn they shared the lead at 6 under.
Moore took the lead for the first time when he holed from 10 feet for birdie at the 10th. Moore bogeyed the 13th and the pair was again tied at 6 under. Moore bogeyed the 13th and fell one behind the Australian but when Scott hit a wild tee shot at the 15th he was unable to save par and he and Moore were tied again at 5 under and one ahead of Bart Bryant who was sneaking closer.
Moore birdied the par five 16th after a nice up and down form just off the green and was one ahead but Scott still had the par five to play and hit a brilliant approach to ten feet. His eagle putt missed but he was at 6 under and shared the lead. Almost as he was doing this, Moore hit a fine tee shot at the dangerous par three 17th to 12 feet and when he holed that he was ahead by one with one to play.
Scott hit a poor tee shot at the 17th but two putted from 90 feet and after Moore made par at the 18th hole in the group ahead of him, Scott needed a birdie to force the playoff. Scott was distracted by a cameraman as he hit his tee shot but still managed to find the fairway and hit his approach 10 feet behind the hole. He needed the sliding left to righter to take the tournament into extra holes and he was able to do just that.
After both players made pars at the first two holes they returned to the 18th tee and both found the green although Scott was some 50 feet short after coming from the fairway bunker. Moore was admittedly just on the back edge of the green but his putt was less than half the range of Scott’s. Scott stepped up and hit the most perfect of putts and raised his fist in the air as it disappeared into the hole.
Ryan too hit a good putt but it slid by and the title was Scott’s.
Scott now looks ahead to this week’s Wachovia Championship and the Players Championship next week at Sawgrass with his game perhaps in as good a shape as it has been in quite some time. This has been a very good season for him with wins on the European and USPGA Tours already and, it would seem, more to come.
Bryant finished third, albeit four shots behind the playoff, while Mark Hensby, Nicholas Thompson and Carl Petterson shared 4th at 2 under.
The next best of the Australians were Mathew Goggin and an improved Nick Flanagan who finished 19th, John Senden 27th, Stuart Deane 50th, Michael Sim 57th, Stephen Leaney 66th and Nathan Green 68th.
The PGA Tour now heads back east for the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte in North Carolina.
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