Like any good Agatha Christie murder mystery you don't know who dunnit' until the last minute.
With all the twists and turns that took place on the Blue Monster, living up to it's name in a blustery wind, they should make a movie about it.
In this case the hero, not the villain turned out to be the hottest player in the game right now, Adam Scott who overcame two early bogey's and a Freddie Couples Miracle at Amen corner break on the 18th to shoot 69 -12 for a one shot win over Bubba Watson, and two over Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett.
First Rory, who started the day with 3 shots over the field in his Nike's, but with the old adage "the toughest golf course in the world is the one between your ears" rearing it's head again, he went from making no bogey's on Saturday to making nearly no birdies on Sunday. Bogey's at 7 and 9, out in 38 opened the door and meant the game was on, An eventual lone birdie at the 16th was too little too late. His 74 will sting for a while, he finishes T3 -10.
Bubba ends up second again, in fact he has been second or third at Doral four times in the last five years. In dramatic style, and yet another twist, he sunk a 60 foot putt to eagle the 18th and get into the clubhouse with a share of the lead at -11.
Danny Willett had a chance to equal Bubba but found the water with his drive at the 18th to make bogey, and shoot 69, -10 T3, another fine week on a huge stage for this English star.
Now for Adam, who remember had double bogey's at the 3rd and 5th and those who tuned out early thought there goes his chances, but afterward he talked about how important his ensuing birdie on the 6th then the 8th were to minimize the damage and get him out in +1 37.
Before the round began he said the key to his day would be to take advantage of the par 5's, and he birdied all four of them, including the 10th and 12th as part of his 4 birdies in 5 holes that in hindsight won this event.
Not without some wild scrambling though. He saved par on the par-4 16th with a clutch 8 footer, drove into a fairway bunker but saved par on 17, then there was his Miracle at Amen Corner moment at the 18th..
In 1992 Freddie Couples won the Masters, but not without the Miracle at Amen Corner when his tee shot at the 155 yard 12th landed halfway up the bank, eight feet from the front of the green, and started to roll back down the steep slope into Rae's Creek like thousands before, but for some reason it stopped and clung to the bank.
Fast forward to Scott with a one shot lead playing the final hole. He pushes his drive right into thin rough with a palm tree partially blocking a clear shot to the green.
He tried to hit a fade around the tree, remember there is water all the way down the left. Because of the rough he couldn't spin the ball enough to cut it and it headed straight for the water, bounced a couple of times but somehow like Freddie's stopped on a steep slope inside the red hazard line before it got wet.
Afterwards a jubilant Scott stated the obvious “I was so lucky for it to stay up inside the hazard line, when you’re that lucky, you better get them up and down.”
He did in fact chip that ball to within 6 feet, and under the most intense pressure holed the putt that put the lid on the championship.
Short shots: GM's sponsorship of the Cadillac Classic is now over so the question becomes who if anyone will step up as the title sponsor next year.
*Dave Clark (not the band) has provided Adam Scott with a problem. He has now won 2 championships in a row on the bag for the big Aussie with the Masters firmly on his horizon. The problem if you can call it that, is Steve Williams will be Scott's caddie at all the majors this year.
* Victor Dubuisson has been struggling to return to the form he displayed 2 years ago and yesterday he lost it for a while in front of millions when early in the round he picked his ball out of the hole and threw it angrily into the water, then attacked his bag with his putter repeatedly, before giving it a kick for good measure. He then proceeded to hit himself with a club as he walked down the next fairway.
Looking overweight and out of sorts, the French star has battled anger problems in the past, and after a change of equipment this season he has yet to find his game. He shot 72 on Sunday following 80 on Saturday to T52.
Bryan Angus
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