- Adam Scott almost achieved a miraculous victory in Sydney
- But a triple bogey ruined his afternoon
- Joaquin Niemann defeated Rikuya Hoshino in a play-off
Adam Scott complains about an ugly drive and a rough out-of-bounds call that blew up his Australian Open hopes.
Scott couldn’t hide his frustration after his Home Open bid fell apart right before his eyes on the final three holes.
After draining a 40-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole – his 15th hole of the day after starting at No. 10 – to take the lead, Scott put his tee shot on the par-four and dreamed it win the Stonehaven Cup for a second time.
After playing flawless golf over 15 holes and greeting the growing crowd with a fist pump, Scott evoked memories of his 2013 Masters triumph.
But what followed was eerily similar to his implosion at the British Open in 2012, when he dropped four shots in the last four holes and virtually handed the Claret Jug to Ernie Els at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
Adam Scott was denied a fairytale victory at the Australian Open on Sunday
He played as many as 15 holes, but threw it away on the last three holes
This time an errant hook from the tee box brought everything back to earth with a bump.
The former world number 1 hit his ball to the left, where it shot through dense bushes and into the fencing surrounding the practice range.
He angled to try to get the ball back into the fairway left-handed, but was told by tournament organizers to play his provisional, which wasn’t much better.
“I first asked if it was in bounds and I was told it was in,” Scott said.
‘While I was trying to figure out what I could do, the ruling was checked and it was banned.
“I didn’t know how to get myself in a position to make bogey, but that didn’t really happen.
“I think if this had been the last hole I might have stormed away.
“But I had to calm myself down to play those last two holes and it didn’t go my way.”
Scott made par on his last two holes to post a three-under 68, but the damage had already been done.
Joaquin Niemann won the tournament after winning a dramatic play-off
He finished three shots short of a play-off, which Chilean Joaquin Niemann eventually won and claimed the Stonehaven Cup from Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino.
Australia’s only ever Masters winner will now have to deal with the costly triple bogey.
“Anyone who doesn’t win has one swing or one miss (that they regret),” Scott said.
“If you’re not winning, it’s easy to find a lot of shots.
‘It is a shame. It didn’t feel like the worst swing I’ve ever made, but it was certainly a shocking result.”
But there was at least one bright spot on a day of disappointment for the 43-year-old, with Scott’s equal fourth-place finish earning him a ticket to next July’s British Open at Royal Troon.
The three leading players who had not yet qualified were rewarded with places at the prestigious Scottish major.
