Sergio Garcia took a putting tip from Adam Scott, then swiped the Australian's Booz Allen Classic title here on Sunday to show he has a solid chance for his first major crown at next week's US Open. The 25-year-old Spaniard began his last round with an eagle and five birdies in 10 holes on his way to a six-under par 65, finishing on 14-under 270 to beat defending champion Scott by two strokes at the five million-dollar PGA event.
"The front nine was amazing. I putted the best I have putted in three or four years," Garcia said. "I've been playing well. It feels like my putter is coming around. At least I feel like I have chances to make putts."
Garcia needed only 24 putts Sunday at Congressional Country Club, his fewest in a round since 2002, to win his sixth US PGA title. Three of them have come the week before a US Open, the only major never won by a prior week's winner.
"I guess they should just move the US Open one week earlier," Garcia said. "It's just one of those things. I have the chance to play great courses the week before. It's great preparation for the US Open."
Scott shared second on 272 with Americans Davis Love and Ben Crane. Japan's Ryuji Imada was fifth on 274, one stroke ahead of South African Rory Sabbatini.
Scott had only himself to blame after offering Garcia some putting advice earlier in the week.
"He was complaining to me how he never makes any putts," Scott said. "I offered my advice to him about a practice drill. Lo and behold, all I see him doing is picking the ball out of the hole. It's funny how things go like that."
Scott's simple tip was to make so many short putts from two or three feet that when you gradually increase the distance, you have the confident memory of all those shorter putts dropping into the cup. "Keep rolling it in," Garcia said. "Don't worry about the stroke or anything and just keep seeing the ball going in the hole over and over. It just changes your mentality. I was standing over putts thinking, 'This is going in.'
"It's just a matter of believing in yourself, trusting your stroke and knowing you are going to make it."
Garcia's confidence soared as he departed for Pinehurst, North Carolina, where he will try to become the first European to win a US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970. "This little tip, it makes you think. Sometimes you don't have to stroke it well. You almost make it with your mind," Garcia said. "It helped, but it doesn't mean it's done. I'll keep using it. Hopefully I'll keep improving."
Garcia opened with a 14-foot birdie putt and birdied the fourth, then took the lead with an 18-foot eagle putt at the par-5 sixth. He birdied the seventh and ninth holes from five feet and the 10th from 10 feet to seize command. "I just couldn't miss," Garcia said. "It didn't matter what I did. The ball just kept going right in there. It wasa great feeling." Garcia's front-nine 30 matched the nine-hole tournament record set by Jack Nicklaus in 1982 and equalled by Bobby Clampett in 1986.
Scott birdied the par-5 15th after Garcia bogeyed it to pull within a stroke but the Aussie found the water for his lone bogey at the 17th and Garcia survived a finishing bogey to claim the 900,000-dollar top prize. "It turned out all right but it's not how I like to finish," Garcia said.
It was Garcia's first title since the week before last year's US Open, when he beat Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Sabbatini in a Buick Classic playoff.
Third-ranked Ernie Els of South Africa opened with five pars, then closed the front nine with four birdies in a row - matching an event record not achieved since 1986. But three bogeys in a row starting at the 11th ended the title bid for Els, who shared seventh on 276.
US veteran Tom Kite, the third-round leader trying to become the US tour's oldest-ever winner at age 55, struggled to a 74 and shared 13th on 277.
Top-ranked Vijay Singh of Fiji fired a 71 to finish on 279, the same score as Phil Mickelson after a closing 74. Reigning US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa also fired a 74 to finish on 286.