Adam Scott confirmed his potential to be golf's next superstar with a
commanding victory in the £1.1million Qatar Masters.
Scott carded a final round 67 for a 19-under-par total of 269 at Doha Golf
Club and a six-shot victory over Lancashire teenager Nick Dougherty and France's
Jean-Francois Remesy.
The 21-year-old Australian collected the £175,000 first prize for his second
European Tour victory, the ideal preparation for his first appearance in the US
Masters at Augusta next month.
Six players shared fourth place eight shots adrift, including Wales' Mark
Pilkington, Scot Stephen Gallacher and England's John Bickerton, but Colin
Montgomerie stumbled to a closing 74 to finish 11 shots off the pace.
"It feels great to be winning again, I had my chances last year but didn't
see it through," said Scott, who won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in January
2001 but failed to make the most of several good opportunities later in the
season, in particular letting slip a two-shot lead in the last round of the
English Open.
"Today I felt really good and was really calm out there for the first time in
that situation. It's the most relaxed I've felt on a golf course.
"I was telling myself to be so patient from previous experience when I got a
bit panicky last year.
"It was definitely disappointing last year. You feel like you are playing
well and all of a sudden Sunday comes along and you're put under the gun and you
don't perform well.
"Winning for the second time is almost harder than winning the first time so
today was very satisfying. I said at the start of the year I'd like to have a
multiple-win season and this is a good way to start.
"I've got the first one early in the year so I can really dig my heels in and
I feel I'm a complete player now."
Scott began the day three shots clear of the field and was never in danger of
being caught, especially after playing three holes in four under par around the
turn.
After opening with seven straight pars Scott hit a superb approach to four
feet for a birdie two at the eighth, and went one better at the 634-yard par
five ninth, his third shot from 133 yards pitching a foot past the flag and
spinning back into the hole for eagle.
"I think that was a bit of winner's luck that sealed it for me," admitted
Scott, who shares a similar swing and coach Butch Harmon with world number one
Tiger Woods, and had the assistance of Harmon's son Claude, who is also a top
coach, this week.
"I waited five years until Friday to hole a full iron shot (a four iron from
200 yards for an eagle on the 15th) and now it's two in two days."
Another birdie on the next maintained a six-shot cushion and although he
dropped shots on the 12th and 15th, further birdies on the 14th, 17th and 18th
rounded off a hugely impressive performance.
Equally impressive was the display of 19-year-old Dougherty, a protege of
six-time major winner Nick Faldo, who is playing his first full season on tour
and struggled with a rib injury for much of the week.
"It was a big day for me, the first time I've been in that situation," said
Dougherty, who turned professional last year after helping Great Britain and
Ireland retain the Walker Cup for the first time.
"I missed quite a lot of chances but I was so pleased how well my long game
stood up to it because I've never felt pressure like that before.
"I expect a lot of myself and I said before I went out I'm not treating this
as a learning experience.
"If I cock up it's not going to be part of a learning curve. I'm here to try
and win now and I feel what I've learnt so far has prepared me to be in this
situation so I had no excuses. I'm absolutely chuffed with the result.
"I have the belief that I can win, I believed that if I played great today I
could catch Adam. That's good for me.
"I feel my game has improved a lot and if I feel under pressure on the last
day I can go out there and throw in a low number that can win a golf
tournament.
"I've learnt a helluva lot these last few weeks, my swing has come on heaps.
I did loads of great work in Dubai with Pete Cowen and the only difference this
week was that my putter was working solid again and I made the ones I'm supposed
to.
"Today has been awesome. It's a wicked feeling walking up the last and
hitting two good shots on there, because it's not a great hole to play the first
time you're up there. It was a great test and I think I stood up to it
reasonably well."
Remesy birdied the last to deny Dougherty outright second.
The Frenchman said: "I didn't know the situation playing the last, and I
didn't want to.
"It is a great week and I'm really happy. I was struggling in the beginning
because I haven't been in the race to win a tournament for a long time, but all
the credit has to go to Adam, he played fantastic golf.
"All the time he was going for the pins and he was unbelievable, different
class."