Adam Scott has completed just the sixth career Triple Crown in Australian golf after a late masterclass at the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.
The US Masters champion showed all of his class after a two-hour weather delay, making an eagle and two birdies to complete a final-round four-under-par 67 and win the Joe Kirkland Cup by four shots.
Sensational approach shots on the par-5 12th and par-5 15th were the highlights of Scott’s hour-long clinic as he raced to the trophy.
It was a different Scott who came out after the thunderstorm, after he’d battled to hold onto his overnight lead before the delay and was just one shot up at the break.
Scott’s win, along with last year’s Australian Masters crown and the 2009 Australian Open, means he joins Greg Norman, Peter Senior, Craig Parry, Robert Allenby and Peter Lonard as winners of all three domestic majors in their career.
Scott will chase further glory as he continues his homecoming tour at the Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne next week before lining up in the World Cup at the same venue the week after and then the Australian Open at Royal Sydney the following week.
American Rickie Fowler (68) finished second after never quite managing to get ahead of the world No.2.
The 24-year-old, who began the tournament with an eight-under 63, made six birdies in Sunday’s round but his second bogey of the day, at the 13th, cruelled his hope of spoiling Scott’s party.
Young Victorian trainee professional Jack Wilson (68), who hit four birdies before the storm to surge into contention, came in third after a disastrous double-bogey on the par-3 14th following the weather delay.
Wilson, who became the first trainee to win a PGA Tour of Australasia event with victory at last month’s WA Goldfields Championship, responded with a birdie on the par-5 15th to ensure he walked home with a $84,375 pay cheque.
“The rain delay stunted my momentum,” Wilson told Network Ten.
“That’s probably the only disappointing thing about my day.
“The money’s great, just hope that’s going to sort itself out over time and I can keep playing golf … it’s a pretty good job.”
