LOS ANGELES — Adam Scott has another victory at Riviera, and this time it counts.

Scott survived a calamitous Sunday with just enough clutch putts – for birdie, par, even a bogey – and closed with 1-under 70 for a two-shot victory in the Genesis Invitational.

The victory comes 15 years after Scott won a playoff at Riviera that didn’t count as official because rain shortened the tournament to 36 holes. He earned every bit of this victory, his 14th on the PGA Tour and 29th worldwide.

Nearly a dozen players had a chance to win. Five players had a share of the lead at some point.

Riviera was such a strong test that everyone made mistakes, including Scott. He went long off the fifth green, had a flop shot come back to his feet, putted the next up the hill and made double bogey.

But he bounced back with a slick, scary 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 sixth to regain a share of the lead, and he never trailed the rest of the way.

Advertisement

Rory McIlroy was tied for the lead when he went long on the fifth, took two flop shots to get on the green and then compounded the error with a three-putt triple bogey. McIlroy never recovered. His tee shot on the par-3 sixth went on the wrong side of the bunker in the middle of the green, leading to another bogey. He closed with a 73 and tied for fifth.

Harold Varner III, looking for his first PGA Tour victory, was tied for the lead until he tried to hammer a 3-wood on the reachable 10th hole and chunked it so bad it barely reached the fairway, traveling a mere 129 yards. That led to double bogey, and he made bogey on the par-5 11th to fall out of contention. His day ended by missing a 3-foot par putt that gave him a 74 to finish out of the top 10.

Tiger Woods had his problems, too, but he was never in contention.

Woods played a five-hole stretch late in his round at 5 over and shot 77 to finish last among the 68 players who made the cut. It was the first time Woods has finished last alone since the Memorial in 2015.

Matt Kuchar, who started the final round tied with Scott and McIlroy, birdied the par-5 opening hole and didn’t make another until the 17th when it was too late. He shot 72 and tied for second with Sung Kang (69) and Scott Brown (68).

Scott finished at 11-under 273 for his first PGA Tour title since the World Golf Championship at Doral in 2016.

Advertisement

CHAMPIONS: Scott Parel overcame a three-shot deficit and closed with an 8-under 63 at Naples, Florida, to win the Chubb Classic by two shots over Bob Estes, his third career victory on the tour to surpass $5 million for his career.

Parel moved atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings for the first time in his career.

Bob Estes shot 64 and finished second, and Kevin Sutherland (67) and Bernhard Langer (69) tied for third.

LPGA: Seven-time major champion Inbee Park saw a seven-shot lead shrink to two shots before winning the Women’s Australian Open at Adelaide, Australia, by three strokes to clinch her first LPGA title in almost two years.

Park started her final round three shots in front of 19-year old South Korean compatriot Ayeon Cho. She bogeyed the ninth hole but still turned five shots ahead of the field and went out to a seven-shot lead early on the back nine at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club.

But the 31-year-old former World No. 1 faltered briefly, bogeying the 14th and 16th holes and walking off the 16th green only two shots ahead of fast-finishing American Amy Olsen. Olsen had four birdies in a 3-under final round 70 and was in the clubhouse with an 11-under total of 281.

France’s Perrine Delacour and China’s Yu Liu also loomed into contention, though Liu faded with bogeys on her last three holes.

Park held her nerve, making birdie on the par-5 17th and par on the 18th to win her 20th LPGA title and to gain a ranking boost that lifts her chance of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games at which she will defend the gold medal.

As the winning putt dropped Park was showered with champagne. She signed for a 1-over 74 and a total of 278, finishing three clear of Olsen and four clear of Delacour who took outright third place at 10-under.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.