Rory McIlroy’s quest turn the Genesis Invitational final round into a blockbuster Hollywood victory trilled ended in a horror moive.
The newly-crowned World No. 1 began the final round locked in a three-way tie for the lead but all hope of a first win of the New Year ended in posting a final round 73 for an eight-under par tally on the Riviera course.
Aussie Adam Scott ended a 15-year PGA Tour injustice and in the process captured a second straight victory and for a second occasion in his career, in posting a final day 70.
The 39-year old former Masters champ was two-under after three but then, and much akin to McIlroy, dropped three shots in two-holes but unlike McIlroy Scott regrouped to then post three birdies over the ensuing lucky 13 holes.
Back in 2005, Scott won at Riviera in a play-off when the constant rain reduced the event to 36-holes and with Scott winning in a play-off.
Scott in claiming a then fourth of now 14 PGA Tour wins, was awarded the full prize cheque, World Ranking points and with the win appearing on Wikipedia and on European, Asian and Australasian Tour records but still not officially recognised on PGA Tour records.
“When you win and then you’re told it’s not a win, that was not so good. Even though I had the trophy, it was not official,” he said.
“So, that has been just a bit of motivation for me to again win here and to now have an official victory at Riviera and the Genesis Open is extremely satisfying.”
It will not be lost on Scott also, and in playing alongside McIlroy, that he also gets revenge on the Northern Irishman who had denied Scot victory in a two-shot turnaround on the final green at the 2013 Australian Open.
McIlroy ended his third event of 2020 heading up the staircase leading to the awe-inspiring clubhouse, and with the walls adorned with a who’s who of Hollywood starlets, having again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
And again, it was the shortest club in the 30-year’s bag robbing him a 19th PGA Tour win and a 28th triumph worldwide.
McIlroy’s only comfort is that he has now matched boyhood mentor, Nick Faldo as the equal third longest with a combined 97 weeks as World No. 1.
It was putter that saw McIlroy post a triple-bogey ‘7’ at the par-4 fifth hole and then compound his despair in dropping at shot at the eighth.
At the fifth, and the only hole over the three earlier rounds he had dropped a shot and that being a bogey on day two, he missed the green left but then landed his chip-shot short only for the ball to roll back to close where he’d played his third.
McIlroy’s fourth was long before missing the hole with a 21-foot putt and then failing to hit the hole with both his fifth and sixth shots for his triple-bogey.
The four-time major winner never regained the ascendency and made the turn now at seven-under and sharing 12th place albeit just three shots from the lead.
McIlroy recorded 17 outward putts and with five of those on five and six.
McIlroy had got the start he wanted despite his 305-yard opening tee shot high-up off on the opening tee just rolling off the ‘short stuff’ and from where he marginally missed the green but did manage to up-and-down for a birdie ‘4’.
McIlroy had played the first in five-under having eagled the 18th ranked hole on day one and then managing to then post three straight birdies.
The four-time major winner than came with one full roll of his TaylorMade #22 ball from a birdie at the second before the disappointment in also failing to hit the hole in missing his 11-foot birdie attempt at three.
Sadly, McIlroy never really challenged after his horrors on five and six before more disappointment in seeing a birdie putt at the short par-4 10th again slide by the hole.
McIlroy at last corrected the slide down the board in picking-up a birdie on 11.
He headed into his closing seven holes a mere spectator in Scott’s company dropping a further shot at 13 to fall back to a share of ninth before posting four no-frills pars and a far too late 72nd hole birdie
Tournament host, Tiger Woods posted easily his poorest four-round tally in 13 Riviera appearances.
Woods, whose prior highest 72-hole effort was three-under, slumped to finish last after weekend scores of 76 and 77 for an 11-over par tally.
And Woods has chosen not to contest this week’s WGC – Mexico Championship in Mexico City.
