BETHESDA, Md. -- Sergio Garcia felt haunted by what he called the "Wachovia ghost" when he missed the green on the par-3 18th hole at the Booz Allen Classic.

"I could see the guy just flying around, saying 'Oooh-oooh, what's going on?"' Garcia said.

Garcia did not win the Wachovia Championship last month when he held a six-stroke lead, but the spirits were kinder to him Sunday in the Booz Allen Classic. He captured his sixth career PGA TOUR title, his finishing bogey holding up after closest rival Adam Scott's hard-luck shot hit the water at No. 17.

"I guess it turned out right this time," Garcia said with a big sigh. "It's not the way I like to finish, but a win is a win."

The 25-year-old Spaniard shot a 6-under 65 to finish with a 14-under 270 total, two strokes ahead of Davis Love III (66), Ben Crane (67) and 2004 winner Scott (68). Garcia led by as many as four strokes after a spectacular front-nine 30, emerging from a pack of contenders in the final tournament before the U.S. Open.

Garcia's 270 total tied the course record at Congressional Country Club, which wasn't its usual fearsome self in its first PGA TOUR event in eight years. Craig Stadler shot a 10-under 270 when the Booz Allen, then known as the Kemper Open, was played on the Blue Course in a different configuration in 1981.

Garcia does well on classic courses, having also won at Westchester twice and Colonial once. Another interesting point, half of his TOUR victories have come the week prior to the U.S. Open.

"I guess they should move the U.S. Open one week earlier," he said. "It is the tougher courses I feel good playing."

The momentum may or may not count for much. No player has ever won the U.S. Open after winning the week before.

Garcia has two reasons to thank Scott for the victory. First, Scott gave him a putting tip this week that improved his mental approach. Garcia, who had been struggling on the greens, took the tip to heart and led the tournament in putting average, posting eight consecutive one-putts on Sunday.

"The last couple of rounds this week, I was standing over a lot of putts thinking, 'This is going in.' It didn't matter the length or the difficulty of the putt," Garcia said. "I could see the ball going in."

"Maybe I should charge him," said Scott. He added he had no regrets about offering the advice.

"Sergio's a good friend. I don't want to see him struggle," Scott said. "I'd rather us playing our best and battling it out to see who's better. That's what we're out here for. Hopefully he keeps putting good -- and I get a bit more commission out of him."

Scott's other gift to Garcia was an approach that took two strange bounces -- at the edge of the green and in a bunker -- before dropping in the water at No. 17. Scott settled for bogey and Garcia went on to win. His approach at No. 17 a few minutes earlier had taken a fortuitous bounce back onto the green.

Sergio Garcia led the tournament with a 1.647 putting average. (Hunter Martin/WireImage)

"I'd give anything to have that shot back at (No.) 17," Scott said. "It was a bit of a bad break, but you have the good breaks when you win."

Third-round leader Tom Kite, attempting to become the oldest winner in PGA TOUR history at age 55, struggled with his putter and finished with a 74 to tie for 13th at 7-under 277. Kite badly pushed a 3-foot par putt short at the second and three-putted from 25 feet at the third.

"I was very tentative out there today," Kite said, "and you don't win golf tournaments being tentative."

The day began with 16 players within two shots of the lead, including some of the top names in golf.

Phil Mickelson's 2-foot putt for par lipped out at the first hole on his way to a 74. Steve Elkington (73) was 12 under for the tournament before a bogey at No. 9 and a double bogey at No. 10 after his approach landed in the water. Ernie Els (72) eventually put together four straight birdies to get to 13 under before three straight bogeys knocked him out of contention.

Divots: Vijay Singh (71) tied for 29th at 5-under 279, which will drop him to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking behind Tiger Woods. It will be the sixth time Singh and Woods have swapped turns at the top this year. ... Sabbatini shot a 70, ending his tournament-record streak at 11 consecutive rounds in the 60s. ... After putting his drive into the left rough on the first tee, Ryuji Imada holed his next shot from 100 yards for an eagle to move within two shots of the lead. However, he bogeyed the next hole.

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