Close to half an hour had passed since Adam Scott tapped in a par putt on Waialae Country Club’s ninth green before the world’s second-ranked player exited the golf course.

After media interviews, he stuck around outside the scoring trailer signing hats, tournament badges and even the occasional cell phone for fans crowding the barrier before being shuttled away on a waiting golf cart.

It’ll be a little while before the ever-accessible star makes his next tournament appearance.

Scott plans to take about six weeks off before resuming his season at the Honda Classic in the last week of February. He’ll start the break with some down time on the Big Island after completing the two-week Hawaii swing with a pair of top-10 finishes.

Scott added the Sony Open back into his 2014 playing schedule after a two-year absence and surged up the leaderboard early on Sunday before closing with a 4-under-par 66. He finished the tournament as part of a 12-player tie for eighth place with a four-day total of 10-under 270.

"I like the two weeks here. I like this golf course," said Scott, who tied for sixth in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s sprawling Plantation Course before taking on Waialae’s far tighter layout.

"It’s a real challenge for me. It doesn’t play to my strengths at all, but it’s a good test of patience for me, and you have to really hit a lot of good shots to have a good score here."

Scott finished second in 2009 and played at Waialae just once over the next four years, missing the cut in 2011. Already well established at that point, his profile rocketed with his victory at The Masters and a third at the Open Championship last year.

After making the hop over from Kapalua, Scott maintained contact with the leaders in the first two rounds before slipping into a tie for 27th with a 71 on Saturday.

Scott then charged out with five birdies in his first nine holes on Sunday. He made the turn at 30, moving to 11 under for the tournament, just a shot behind the leaders with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

But with the lead group playing just in front of him, Scott scuffled to a 1-over 36 on the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 2 and 4. He got one of those strokes back when he placed his first shot on the par-3 seventh inside 4 feet to set up his final birdie of the round.

"I was liking my position there," Scott said of his status at the turn. "It was making today a lot of fun, but I didn’t play very well on the next nine. I was just in the rough too much, unfortunately. It’s just such a hard course to get it going around here."

He plans to use his upcoming break to continue to hone his game, and if he can pick up a win and the accompanying berth in next year’s Hyundai somewhere along the line, chances are he’ll be back at Waialae the following week, as well.

Though there’s one aspect of the course he won’t miss until then.

"I’m happy not to see this rough for another year, though," Scott said. "It is crazy."