Scott McCarron Finishes Strong to Win the 2019 Insperity Invitational

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The atmosphere around The Woodlands Country Club for the final round of the Insperity Invitational on Sunday was completely different from Friday’s brutal conditions. When some of the biggest names from PGA Tour Champions teed off, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the course was dry and ready to crown its 12th champion.

Scott McCarron shot a five-under 67 to hold off the tough competition from runner-up Scott Parel and win the 2019 Insperity Invitational by two strokes. McCarron’s total score of 17-under gave him his second win of the season, kept the California native atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings, and earned his 10th career PGA Tour Champions victory.

The 10th win on PGA Tour Champions adds McCarron to a list that includes names like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. McCarron said that after a conversation with Nicklaus about playing as long as you can, reaching 10 wins is an important feat for him.

“I really took that to heart as I'm going to put everything I can into this and try to win as many tournaments as I can, try to compete, have fun, be in good shape, be healthy and see what we can do,” said McCarron.

Scott McCarron began the day with a three-shot lead over Scott Parel and Paul Goydos, but a day’s best round of 66 shot by Parel made for a competitive finish. Back-to-back birdies by Parel brought him level with McCarron heading down the back nine, then McCarron returned the favor on the 13th and 14th hole to take back his two-shot advantage.

Parel birdied no. 15 to put the pressure back on McCarron. Then, the champion responded by nearly hitting a hole-in-one on the 16th hole Par 3. The birdie putt from less than a foot away reinstated the two-shot lead for good.

Par on 18 closed out an unconventional weekend at the Insperity Invitational for McCarron and the rest of the field. The schedule changes due to severe weather forced the golfers to adjust on the fly.

“You've got to be very patient. You've got to conserve your energy,” said McCarron. “When we have rain delays like that, try to find a quiet corner and get some rest because you never know how long you're going to go.”

The delays and re-scheduled tee times actually was a bit of a positive for McCarron after he picked up a slight injury on Saturday.

“I hurt my neck in the morning and I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to play, so to go 35 holes and my neck was just killing me,” McCarron said. “But it started loosening up, and the guys in the fitness truck did a phenomenal job getting me ready to be able to play. I was lucky that they had another delay from 7:30 to 9:30, it gave me some more time to get therapy on that so I was able to tee it up, because if we had to go at 7:30, I might not have been able to hit drivers at that point.”

Sunday’s win earned McCarron a $330,000 prize. The money brings his Charles Schwab Cup money total up to $996,868 and keeps him in the lead for the third week in a row.