The Hindu : Sport / Golf : Caddie's caution, Scott's success

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

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Sport - Golf

Caddie's caution, Scott's success

POTOMAC (MARYLAND), JUNE 28. With his lead dwindling on the back nine, Adam Scott reached for his driver at the 14th tee, figuring he might be able to drive the green on the short par 4. His caddie said `No".

``He was pretty serious about that,'' Scott said. ``So I took a 3-iron out.''

The rare veto paid off. Scott's tee shot wasn't the greatest, but it left him in position to birdie the hole and get his lead back to three shots. He then birdied the next hole, holding off a challenge from Charles Howell III for a four-shot victory in the Booz Allen Classic on Sunday.

``For a caddie to say that on the 14th hole on Sunday when you have a two-shot lead is pretty big,'' Scott said. ``But that's why he's one of the best caddies out there.''

The caddie is Tony Navarro, who knows a thing or two about trying to hold a Sunday lead. Navarro, Greg Norman's long-time caddie, was carrying the bag when Norman blew a six-shot lead in the 1996 Masters.

Scott also led by six at the start of his round on Sunday. He was up by seven after his first five holes, but Howell made five straight birdies on the back nine to make it a contest. A tee shot that landed on the cart path at No. 13 didn't help Scott either, even though he made a great save to par the hole. ``I was getting a little nervy there on the back nine,'' Scott said.

Scott persevered with the birdie at No. 14 and carded a 3-under 68 for a 21-under 263 total, tying the tournament and TPC at Avenel records set by Billy Andrade and Jeff Sluman in 1991, when Andrade won in a play-off. Scott also broke the 36-hole Avenel record on Friday and tied the 54-hole mark on Saturday.

It is the third PGA Tour victory and seventh win overall for Scott who won the Players' championship in March. At No. 15 in the world, Scott was by far the highest-ranked player in the field and he clinically handled a course he had never seen until Tuesday. ``It's nice to be able to respond to a little bit of pressure,'' said Scott, who started the day with a six-shot lead over Olin Browne. — AP

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