Scott, who found water with his approach to the 72nd hole, took a penalty drop and ultimately had to make a brave ten foot putt for a bogey five and a round of 70 which earned him the title with a 12 under par total of 276. In doing so, Scott emulated Steve Elkington and Greg Norman as Australian winners of the prestigious Players Championship.

Scott, a four time champion on The European Tour International Schedule and one of the leading candidates for this week’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National in Georgia, was the unanimous choice of the judging panel from radio, television and the written media who met in Augusta on the eve of the 2004 Masters.

Other players considered by the panel were Harrington, who went on to finish fourth in the BellSouth Classic at Sugarloaf, Georgia, last week; Sweden’s Joakim Haeggman and Chris Hanell, who won the Qatar Masters and Madeira Island Open respectively, and Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, who claimed his 28th title on The European Tour International Schedule by winning the Caltex Masters, presented by Carlsberg, Singapore, 2004.

The award is presented to a European Tour Member each month from January to November for his performances on The European Tour International Schedule and in worldwide competition. At the end of the season, the panel will select the Golfer of the Year.

Winners already in 2004 have been Miguel Angel Jiménez of Spain (January) and South Africa’s Ernie Els (February).

 


Courtesy of www.europeantour.com