Monday 17 February 2020 10:46, UK
Adam Scott was thrilled to make a winning start to 2020 after holding for victory at a star-studded Genesis Invitational.
Nine of the world's top 10 featured at Riviera Country Club, where Scott posted a final-round 70 to claim a two-shot victory and second triumph in as many worldwide starts.
Scott's latest success follows his win at the Australian PGA Championship in December and is his first on the PGA Tour since 2016, with the title coming 15 years after his maiden win at the event.
"This [winning] is incredibly satisfying," Scott, who won the tournament in 2005 when bad weather saw it reduced to a 36-hole contest, told Sky Sports.
"It's a place I've loved for many years and played well at a lot of times and to get an official victory here among one of the best fields we'll have this year feels very, very good.
"It was a tough day but this is a tough course and when the pressure's on and it's a little windy, [being] out of position isn't good and I got myself out of position a couple of times, but there was enough good stuff in there to make up for it."
Matt Kuchar, Sung Kang and Scott Brown shared second spot, while Rory McIlroy finished three strokes back in tied-fifth after slipping down the leaderboard after dropping four shots in the space of two holes during the final day.
McIlroy took two attempts to pitch out of the rough at the fifth before three-putting for a triple-bogey seven, with the world No 1 then bogeying the next on his way to a two-over 73.
"Apart from that [error] on five, played pretty well, played the other holes in one under," McIlroy said. "I didn't expect it to be as difficult as it was, but everyone was finding it tough out there.
"Adam [Scott] held on well at the end. I was trying until the very end. I thought maybe if I could birdie a couple of the last few coming in I might still have a chance. Adam played great, a couple really good up-and-downs and then the birdie on 17 sort of sealed the deal for him."
