MONDAY WRAP: Scott wins at first start as World No.1

Adam Scott validated his move to the World No.1 seven days ago by winning the Crowne Plaza Colonial tournament in a play-off against Jason Dufner.

In his first start as the game’s top-ranked player, Scott carded a pair of four under 66s over the weekend to creep up the leaderboard and finish the 72 holes at nine under, tied with Dufner, who earlier set the clubhouse mark, with his own 66 that included an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

"This is a really special week for me," Scott said. "It was, no matter what happened here. But to kind of find my way back into this tournament, around this golf course – it a real honour to win here. It's a beauty."

The pair went back to the 18^th tee for the play off. After finding the fairway with this drives, Scott and Dufner hit the green with their approach and both men left awkward second putts after rolling their birdie attempts past the hole.

Using a long iron, Scott then crunched his ball down the middle of the 17th fairway, while Dufner left himself a slightly harder approach over trees from the right of the fairway. With Scott hitting his approach to about 12 feet and sitting just on the fringe, the American nailed his approach to half the distance from the flag giving him the advantage.

Scott coolly holed the tough birdie putt and Dufner followed him in moments later to send them back to the 18^th tee.

Again, the pair split the fairway from the tee but Dufner appeared to slightly mis-hit his approach, which finished 30 feet from the flag. Scott, from 135 yards, smoothed his pitching wedge on an aggressive line into the green and watched as it came within a foot of going in the cup and spun back to settle seven feet short of the hole.

After Dufner rolled his long attempt by the hole, Scott rolled his putt in for the win.

Watch how World No.1 Adam Scott claimed his 11^th PGA Tour win here

It was Scott’s 11^th PGA Tour victory and with this win he became the only man in the history of the PGA Tour to win the ‘Texas Grand Slam’ – career victories in all four Texas PGA Tour events.

The victory also capped off a tournament which saw him fight back so well from a poor opening nine holes on Thursday when he had four bogies and no birdies by the turn. Three birdies on the back nine had him in the house at one over and five shots back of the leaders.

A single bogey over the second and third rounds was outweighed by seven birdies and he found himself entrenched in the top-10 and within striking distance of the lead heading into the final round.

Birdies at the 1^st and 2^nd holes to start the final day set the tone for the World No.1. There was a minor setback at the 3^rd when he three-putted for bogey from 25 feet but he bounced back with his third birdie of the day at the par-4 6^th hole.

Just as Scott seemed well on control at eight under, he threw in a double bogey six at the 9^th hole when he missed the fairway right from the tee and was forced to punch his second shot down the fairway and hit his third shot onto the green. The error saw him drop to six under and it appeared his chance of victory was gone.

But he showed his fighting qualities with a trio of birdies at the 11^th, 12^th and 14^th holes to get back to nine under and tie Dufner, who was playing two groups ahead.

"It's a tricky course and 10 and 11 are a good chance to get off to a good start on the back nine," Scott said.

"There's no gimmie birdies on the back nine. It's not that easy to make birdies when you need to.”

The win came in Scott’s eighth appearance on Tour this season, finishing in the top 25 in seven of them. It ensures he will remain in the top spot of the ranking heading into the Memorial Tournament starting Thursday.

Scott – the third player to win in his debut as the World No.1, after Vijay Singh (2004) and David Duval (1999) accomplished the feat – is expected to be a certain starter at the tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.

American David Toms (70) had his opportunities to win, or at least join the play-off, as he was eight under after 12 holes of the last round, but bogies at the 13th and 14^th holes cost him dearly.

He recovered with a birdie on the 15th and he finished at seven under to finish in a tie for fifth alongside Queensland’s John Senden (68), who played alongside Scott in the final round.

Victoria’s Marc Leishman (72) was the next best placed Australian at four under and tied for 21st place.

LEADERBOARD

*1. Adam Scott (Qld)   71-68-66-66–271

2. Jason Dufner (US)   67-69-69-66–271

T3. Nicholas Thompson (US)   69-68-69-66–272

T3. Freddie Jacobson (Swe)   67-71-67-67–272

T5. John Senden (Qld)   71-68-66-68–273

T5. David Toms (US)   72-66-65-70–273

* Won at third play-off hole

ALSO:

T21. Marc Leishman (Vic)   69-68-67-72–276

T38. Robert Allenby (Vic)   68-70-68-72–278

T45. Matt Jones (NSW)    70-67-73-69–279

T51. Aaron Baddeley (Vic)   68-67-71-74–280

 # For the full leaderboard, click here