Humble Scott says Bubba "still Masters favourite."

BY BRENDAN JAMES

With the Masters now just four weeks away, Adam Scott says he is playing some of the best golf of his career after securing back-to-back PGA Tour titles. But, he adds, Bubba Watson should still be the favourite to win his third Green Jacket.

“Even if I won every tournament I play before the Masters, if Bubba keeps finishing second, I'd still think he's favored,” Scott said. “It just sets up so good there for him. Obviously his record there is amazing the last couple of years. He's got to be feeling great about his game.

Adam Scott tees off on the 18th hole with victory in sight.
PHOTO: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

“You know, I'm happy if my name is in the mix. I wouldn't shy away from it. I'm not just trying to put the pressure on Bubba, but he's obviously playing fantastic.

“He won L.A. and second here, and Augusta around the corner, he's got to be thinking this is looking really good for him.”

It’s also looking good for Scott, with his one-stroke victory in the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship at Doral moving him to No.6 in the world ranking, to No.1 in the FedEx Cup standings and his PGA Tour career earnings beyond US$42.8 million.

Needless to say, his confidence is running high at the moment and he feels he needs to try and maintain a balance through to the Masters.

Scott celebrates after holing his six footer to save par and claim the win.
PHOTO: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

“I'd love to just bottle up where my game's been at the last couple weeks and move forward a month,” Scott said. “That's going to be the hard thing for me to do is to manage my expectations and also manage my game to keep it right here.

“You know, I can't just keep pushing. I have to pace myself kind of so I don't over-work it and try and get too prepared and do all that. It's finding that balance the next month for me … that's going to be really important, but obviously the confidence is going to be high right now a and I just want to do everything to keep that there.”

The in-form Scott, who won the Honda Classic in Palm Beach last week, came from six shots back of the lead early in the final round to card a three under 69 and finish at 12 under, one shot clear of Bubba Watson.

It was a final round Scott will remember for a long time.

On a windy Sunday afternoon, Scott went from three strokes behind the lead at the start of his round, to two down after one hole, to six strokes back after five holes, only to emerge as the victor 13 holes later.

En route to hoisting the trophy, there was a pair of double bogies (3^rd and 5^th holes), a shanked bunker shot on the 16^th and a final hole approach that stopped just above the water line beside the 18^th green and allowed Scott the chance to get up-and-down.

While the double bogies hurt early, Scott fought back with six birdies in nine holes. But he said he was embarrassed with the shank on 16 because he did it in front of short-game genius, Phil Mickelson.

Having driven his ball into the greenside bunker on the par-4 16^th, Scott needed to just get up-and-down to extend his lead to two shots with two holes play. Instead, he shanked the bunker shot into the rough next to an adjacent bunker.

“I was so embarrassed to do that playing with Phil Mickelson,” Scott said later. “I mean, he would be lipping it out or holing it, and I'm shanking it nearly into the next bunker. It shocked me a bit. I just tried to be too fancy and probably showing off in front of Phil a little bit.”

Not even a serious scare with the water on 18 could stop the red-hot Scott. Playing off a difficult uphill lie, the 2013 Masters Champion flopped the shot onto the green and converted the six-foot par-saver for the title. All in a day’s work!

To the victor goes the spoils – the Gene Sarazen Cup.
PHOTO: David Cannon/Getty Images.

cott said he was rocked by the early double bogies when he lost balls into the water, and was desperate to not shoot 80 in the final round.

“I think after the second double-bogey, winning was kind of far from the front of my mind,” Scott confessed. “And at that point, I took a moment to think about kind of just gaining some traction on the round before it slips away and I shoot 80 because it's possible around this is course. To keep missing it like I did in the water, there's just no escape from it.

“Took a moment to myself on the 6th, and figured there were chances downwind a little bit the next few holes that if I could get two birdies by the turn, then not too much damage is done and maybe with a great back nine, I might be in with a chance.

“By the time I had made the turn, I had made a couple birdies, and Rory had dropped a shot and I thought with a great back nine I was still in with a chance, and what's that I tried to do.

“And then all of a sudden, I just started getting nice numbers into the greens, and I kind of hit my way to win this tournament.

“It's just bizarre because I hit some horrible shots today (laughing). I think you have this picture in your mind that you've got to play so beautifully to win all the time, and sometimes, especially at a golf course like this, in windy conditions like this, it can't be that pretty unless you play one of the rounds of your life.”

Bubba Watson tries to drive the green on the par-4 16th hole during the final round.
PHOTO: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images.

Scott said he was now playing some of the best golf of his career.

"I've used my experience to my advantage in the last couple of weeks," he said.

"You've got to push yourself to beat the class of player out here right now, so I can't believe I've won back to back weeks.

"It was such a challenge today. I knew If I could get a couple (of birdies) before the turn today that I was in with a chance, and everything fell the right way today, especially on 18.

"I hit it right where I aimed, but the tree was right in my line. I hit it so well, and it flew the hazard, but I was so lucky."

It was the 13th career win for Scott and he is the first player to win consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour’s Florida swing since Tiger Woods in 2001.