JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - Masters champion Adam Scott won The Barclays on Sunday after everyone around him did their best to lose it.
Scott played bogey-free at Liberty National in the FedEx Cup playoffs opener, making only two birdies on the back nine for a 5-under 66 that put him in the mix of a crowded leaderboard at the top. Turns out he was the only one who stayed there.
Justin Rose had a 25-foot birdie putt for the lead, ran it 5 feet by the cup and three-putted for a bogey for a 68. Kevin Chappell had a two-shot lead through 10 holes, only to play the next seven holes in 7-over par to close with a 76.
Tiger Woods suffered a back spasm on the par-5 13th hole and hooked a fairway metal so far left that it landed in a swamp on the other side of the 15th fairway, leading to bogey. He dropped another shot on the 15th, and then gamely birdied the 16th and 17th holes to pull within one shot of Scott. Woods’ putt from the back of the 18th green was one turn short of falling to force a playoff.
The last challenge came from Gary Woodland, who fell out of the lead when he hit driver on the 13th that ran into the water, leading to bogey. Woodland had birdie chances from inside 10 feet on the final three holes, and missed them all. He closed with a 73.
Scott finished at 11-under 273 and moved to a career-best No. 2 in the world.
Woods, Woodland and Rose shared second place with Graham DeLaet of Canada, whose 65 matched the low score of the final round. DeLaet will move up to No. 9 in the Presidents Cup standings, and with one week before qualifying ends, is in good shape to make the International team.
CANADIAN WOMEN’S OPEN
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) _ Teen star Lydia Ko ran away with the Canadian Women’s Open _ again.
The 16-year-old New Zealand amateur successfully defend her title, closing with a 6-under 64 on Sunday at Royal Mayfair for a five-stroke victory and her fourth win in professional events.
Last year at Vancouver Golf Club in British Columbia, the South Korean-born Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days. She also was the fifth amateur winner in tour history and the first since JoAnne Carner in the 1969 Burdine’s Invitational.
Ko’s other victories in professional events came last year in the Australian tour’s New South Wales Open and this year in the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open. Projected to jump from 19th to seventh in the world ranking, she has played 14 LPGA Tour events the last two seasons, making the cut in every tournament. She also won the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer.
Ko had a 15-under 265 total after opening with rounds of 65, 69 and 67.
France’s Karine Icher was second after a 67.
BOEING CLASSIC
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (AP) _ John Riegger won the Boeing Classic in his fifth Champions Tour start, holding off John Cook and Fred Couples at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.
The 50-year-old Riegger birdied three of the final four holes _ holing a 20-footer for birdie on the par-5 18th _ for a 4-under 68 and a two-stroke victory over Cook. Riegger finished at 15-under 201.
Cook closed with a 65. Couples, from Seattle, was third at 11 under after a 66.
Riegger, a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, is the fifth rookie to win this year on the 50-and-over tour, matching a record. He won $300,000, the biggest check in his professional career.
COX CLASSIC
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ Australia’s Bronson La’Cassie won the Cox Classic to earn a PGA Tour card with a sixth-place finish on the Web.com Tour money list.
The former University of Minnesota player beat Matt Bettencourt with a par on the third hole of a playoff.
La’Cassie birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 67 to match Bettencourt at 21-under 263 at Champions Run. Bettencourt also finished with a 67.
La’Cassie earned $144,000 to jump from 33rd to sixth on the money list with $255,629. The top 25 after the tournament earned PGA Tour cards for the 2013-14 season.
Bettencourt made $$86,400 to finish 16th with $162,877. Michael Putnam topped the list with $450,184. He had a 72 on Sunday to tie for 12th at 14 under.
JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP
GLENEAGLES, Scotland (AP) _ England’s Tommy Fleetwood birdied first hole of a playoff to win the Johnnie Walker Championship for his first European Tour victory.
Fleetwood also birdied the 18th to match Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez at 18-under 270 on the PGA Centenary Course, the site of the Ryder Cup next year. Fleetwood closed with a 2-under 70, Gallacher had a 67, and Gonzalez shot 70.
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