He did, though not quite the way he wanted to do it.

After blowing the three-stroke lead he carried into the final round, Scott made a nine-foot birdie putt on No18 to force a play-off.

The Australian then made a 48-footer, playing it again on the third play-off hole to beat Ryan Moore in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

'In the end, I think to myself, I could actually win it when things weren't going my way,' said Scott, who earned US$1,152,000 (S$1.6 million).

'But it wasn't quite the statement I had in mind. I would have liked to have gone out there and have played like Ryan played and won by a few.'

Still, Scott made the clutch shots when he needed them for his sixth PGA Tour victory after cutting short his post-Masters trip home to Australia.

Playing the 18th hole for the third time in less than an hour, the second time in the play-off, Scott hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker to the right.

But he got his approach to the front of the green, then rolled the putt over two ridges and into the cup.

'I got away with one today,' said Scott, at No10 in the world the highest-ranked player in the Nelson field. 'A bit lucky.'

Moore still had a chance to force another hole, but his pin-high putt from the fringe skimmed just past the cup.

'I'm just a little frustrated I didn't make mine,' said Moore, who closed with a two-under 68 to match Scott (71) at seven-under 273.

The play-off was a fitting end for Scott and Moore, who ended four shots ahead of Bart Bryant (72).

Nicholas Thompson (67), Mark Hensby (69) and Carl Pettersson (69) tied for fourth at 278.

It was the fourth career runner-up finish for Moore, the first player since Tiger Woods to skip the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as Q-School, and go straight from college to the PGA Tour.

Woods got his first victory in his seventh start as a pro, while Moore is still looking for his first after 70 tournaments since 2005.

'A loss is a loss, but I tied for first at the end of the day,' said Moore, who had never been in a play-off. 'I was just proud of myself for battling around on a tough day in tough conditions.'

Playing conditions at the redesigned TPC Four Seasons changed drastically again, after rain overnight combined with blustery conditions on Sunday.

It was an unseasonable cool day with temperatures barely reaching 16 deg C.

It was the 16th play-off at the Nelson since 1968, more than any other tournament on the PGA Tour.

The last was in 2004, when Sergio Garcia beat Robert Damron and Dudley Hart on the first extra hole.

ASSOCIATED PRESS