Adam Scott of Australia hadn’t won in 21 months and admitted it was wearing on him.
Scott sank a three-foot par putt on the final hole to shoot even-par 70 and claim a one-stroke victory over Sergio Garcia of Spain in the Honda Classic on the Champion Course at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
“That was certainly a sense of relief to win again, after being (more than) a year-and-a-half I guess without a win,” said the 35-year-old Scott, who won for the 12th time on the PGA Tour but the first since the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. “I think it’s just getting tougher and tougher to win out here.
” … I think if I want to achieve what I want out of this game, I have that kind of smaller window. And I know once I get to 40 years old, it’s just the facts, it’s going to get harder and harder for me, because there’s some 17-year-old right now who will be 22 out here killing it, and I’m going to be 40 and it’s going to be hard for me to keep pace.”
Garcia, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the 2012 Wyndham Championship, opened the door for Scott with three bogeys on the back nine — including on the 16th and 17th holes — and fell one stroke short after making a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Justin Thomas chipped in from 59 feet for an eagle-3 on the third hole but made a double bogey-5 on the 17th in a 69 that left him four shots back in a tie for third with Blayne Barber, who finished with a 70 and posted the best finish of his PGA Tour career.
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland closed with a 69 and was another stroke back in solo fifth, while Rickie Fowler totaled 71 to finish one more shot down in a tie for sixth with 53-year-old Vijay Singh of Fiji, who came in at 70.
Phil Mickelson carded a second straight 70 and tied for 37th, while defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland tied for 43rd after a 71.
