Moving his potential closer to promise, Adam Scott had his best year in golf. He wound up third on the PGA Tour money list, and can move as high as No. 3 in the world ranking over the next two months.

None of that would have mattered without a PGA Tour victory.

Scott took care of that missing piece yesterday in the Tour Championship by holding off every challenge that came his way, closing with a 4-under 66 in Atlanta to win the season finale by three shots over Jim Furyk.

"You can't be that (No.) 3 or 4 player in the world without winning tournaments," Scott said. "That shouldn't happen. I feel more comfortable in that position seeing I've won an event."

He won convincingly at the PGA Tour's version of an All-Star game.

Staked to a three-shot lead on a cool, colorful afternoon of autumn at East Lake, he sank a slick, 15-foot birdie putt on No. 3 to turn back an early threat from Vijay Singh. When he saw Furyk and Joe Durant make a move, Scott responded with three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn.

For good measure, he turned bogey into birdie by holing a bunker shot on the 13th.

Scott finished at 11-under 269 and earned $1.17 million to finish his PGA Tour season with nearly $5 million. With tournaments coming up in Australia, he will have a chance to surpass Phil Mickelson at No. 3 in the world ranking by the end of the year.

Kane'ohe's Dean Wilson closed with a 70 yesterday to finish at 288. He earned $126,100.

LPGA

WEBB WINS IN JAPAN; SORENSTAM FIVE BACK

Karrie Webb ended Annika Sorenstam's Mizuno Classic winning streak at five, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory over Kaori Higo in Mie, Japan.

Sorenstam shot a 70 to finish five strokes back at 9-under 207 on the Kashikojima Country Club course. The Swedish star also failed in her second attempt in a month to win an LPGA Tour event a record six times.

Webb won for the fifth time this season to match Lorena Ochoa for the LPGA Tour lead and push her career total to 35.