WGC-Cadillac Championship 2016: Leaderboard Scores, Prize-Money Payouts

Adam Scott caught fire in Sunday's final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami—and may well have cemented himself in the conversation of the greatest active players.

Scott stole the spotlight from 54-hole leader Rory McIlroy, overcoming two double bogeys in his first five holes to post a three-under 69 and pull out a one-stroke victory over Bubba Watson.  

This marks the Aussie's second straight triumph after last week's Honda Classic. Check out the top performers from Doral below, along with the hefty paychecks they earned:

Pos.	Player	Scores	To Par	Prize Money
1	Adam Scott	68-66-73-69	-12	$1,620,000
2	Bubba Watson	69-69-71-68	-11	$1,026,000
T3	Danny Willett	68-69-72-69	-10	$551,000
T3	Rory McIlroy	71-68-68-74	-10	$551,000
5	Phil Mickelson	67-72-70-70	-9	$380,000
6	Jimmy Walker	69-72-73-66	-8	$342,000
7	Paul Casey	71-68-75-68	-6	$318,250
T8	Rickie Fowler	70-71-71-71	-5	$275,500
T8	Smylie Kaufman	71-70-71-71	-5	$275,500
T8	Sergio Garcia	73-71-67-72	-5	$275,500

Golf Channel's Justin Way referred to the special company Scott joined as he continued a fine streak in the Sunshine State:

Watson was in the midst of his own bid for two wins in as many starts following a victory at the Northern Trust Open the last time he teed it up. He began the last round with a birdie at the par-five first hole and followed with seven straight pars.

Known for his knack for the long ball off the tee, Watson showed his prowess from distance with the flat iron on a phenomenal eagle at No. 8:

But Watson's back nine of one-under 35 wasn't quite good enough to upstage Scott, who was phenomenal down the stretch.

Danny Willett saw his chances to win evaporate when he plunked his drive into the drink at No. 18. It was something Scott could relate to, as ESPN's Jason Sobel teased:

Such chaos goes to show just how challenging Doral was on the final day. The overnight leader, McIlroy, managed only one birdie at No. 16 and simply couldn't get anything going, leaving the door ajar for Scott to break through.

Double bogeys at Nos. 3 and 5 were followed by a birdie at the par-four sixth and the par-five eighth, allowing Scott to turn in a decent 37. It was thereafter he heated up, carding three consecutive birdies from Nos. 10 through 12. Scott added another at the 14th to put separate himself from the pack.

Golf Digest resorted to arcade footage to describe Scott's decisive surge up the leaderboard:

That's not to say the conclusion of Sunday's action wasn't interesting, though.

Scott supplied suspense when he shanked a bunker shot from just off the putting surface at No. 16, where he managed to save par:

Fellow PGA Tour player Justin Thomas tried to make Scott feel better, citing the latter's impeccable swing:

Then tree trouble plagued Scott at the 72nd hole, forcing him to take a dangerous line and hit an uncommonly aggressive approach to the last:

Thanks to the lengthy Bermuda rough, Scott's ball stopped shy of the water and got caught up in the hazard. Unable to ground his club at address, he flopped a wedge up the steep bank and about six feet away from the cup, whereupon he drained a clutch par save to secure the victory.

Such mettle with the putter has been absent in the past and has prevented Scott from even more wins. Since he's gone away from the anchored method, he appears more natural on the greens, which could spell trouble for anyone opposing him.

Phil Mickelson is another veteran who's showing he still has more great golf to offer. Lefty cooled off after three birdies on his opening nine on Sunday but finished fifth—his third top-five finish of the season already.

Jordan Spieth, who tied for 17th this week, has cooled off after a hot start to the year. Reigning PGA Championship winner Jason Day has struggled to get going. McIlroy couldn't finish strong at Doral, as was the case at Riviera Country Club mere weeks ago.

Translation: Scott is capitalizing on his magnificent current form—and another Masters Tournament champion in Watson is in fine form a little more than a month away from Augusta National.

The year's first major is promising to be a dandy, especially if the younger guns in Spieth, Day, McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, who had a low-key top 10 in Miami, can flash well before then.

Post-Round Reaction

To continue on the aforementioned theme of the multitude of elite talent in modern golf, Scott mentioned something in that vein, saying, per the tournament's official Twitter feed, "The level of talent and standard of play is better than ever out here."

Watson made a classy gesture in congratulating Scott afterwards, courtesy of the PGA Tour's official Twitter account:

Scott's self assessment of what happened Sunday was fitting. He said, per Sobel, "It was ugly and good, all in 18 holes."

Referring to the wayward sand shot that could have proven costly, Scott made light of the situation, saying, per Sobel, "I was so embarrassed to do that playing with Phil Mickelson. He'd be lipping out or holing it. I shanked it."

The Masters came up following Scott's win. Despite having a green jacket to his name, he dispelled the notion that he's the favorite by responding, "No, I think Bubba is," per Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard.

One could easily dismiss Scott's remark as mere modesty. On the other hand, history bodes well for Watson and runner-up finishes at Doral. Both of the prior times he finished second in Miami, Watson proceeded to claim glory at Augusta.