Aaron Baddeley returned a final round 69 to win the Northern Trust Open at Riviera - his first PGA Tour title in four years.
Australian wins for the first time in four years at Riviera
Aaron Baddeley returned a final round 69 to win the Northern Trust Open at Riviera - his first PGA Tour title in four years.
The Australian, who has spent the last two years remodelling his swing after returning to former coach Dale Lynch, never surrendered his narrow overnight lead despite a double bogey at the 12th.
That was his only blemish on the card and he swiftly hit back with his fourth birdie of the day at the next before holding his nerve over the closing holes to hold off the surging Vijay Singh by two shots.
"It's definitely been a couple of long years, but it was worth every bit," said the 29-year-old, who finished on 12 under par.
"I got back with Dale in March '09, and to be honest it felt like coming home. He had such an impact on my golfing career growing up and he was very much like a mentor. It felt like I was becoming a kid again.
"Step-by-step, we just sort of put the pieces together, built the foundation and it was great. The product today was just being able to hit the shots that I needed to hit."
Singh recently dropped out of the top-100 for the first time in over 20 years but work on his short game over the winter is starting to reap dividends.
He was three under par for the day after a birdie at the long 11th but back-to-back bogeys halted his run, although another birdie at the 16th assured him of second place with a closing 69.
Best putting
"I haven't had this feel for a long time, but it's really good," the 47-year-old. "I'm feeling good, and I think I've still got it.
"That's the best putting week I've had probably all my career. It's a great, great thing to have when you're putting well. I haven't done that for a long, long time. This is going to get me some places."
American Kevin Na had a steady final round without threatening to challenge, matching four birdies with as many bogeys for a 71 and third place outright.
Three players finished four shots behind Baddeley - former champion Robert Allenby plus American duo Jimmy Walker and Ryan Moore.
But there was disappointment for local favourite Fred Couples, who led at halfway and was still only one off the lead heading into the final round.
The veteran made the perfect start, with a hat-trick birdies from the first, but the momentum was halted with a bogey at the sixth when he failed to get up and down, before compounding the error with a double at the next.
He finished with a two-over-par 73 to end in a tie for seventh, while England's Justin Rose had a top-10 finish after another solid round of 70, with countryman Paul Casey a shot further back on five under par.
