Adam Scott conceded he might have been drawing a “lengthy bow” however instructed the LIV impact might have contributed to wild scenes eventually week’s Phoenix Open with crowd behaviour at golf tournaments taking a flip in direction of extra common rowdiness.
Gates had been shut after greater than 200,000 individuals attended Saturday’s play on the Waste Administration Open, and beer gross sales stopped, with gamers together with Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson clashing with crowd members who refused to be silent.
The interactions haven’t been restricted to the PGA Tour both with monster LIV signing Jon Rahm taking a while to adapt to the Saudi-backed tour’s “golf however louder” motto, having additionally needed to repeatedly ask for quiet at their final occasion in Las Vegas.
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As he prepares to tee it up at a extra subdued Riviera Nation Membership for the $30 million Genesis Invitational, which additionally marks Tiger Woods’ return to play, Scott even instructed final 12 months’s crowds on the Australian Open and PGA might have been influenced by the rowdy nature of the LIV occasion in Adelaide final April.
“I believe the Phoenix Open is sitting on it’s personal as one thing like no different,” he stated.
“I’ve solely performed it twice two years in the past and final week, and there are such a lot of individuals it’s simply noisy, and there are distractions and everybody has obtained to cope with it.
“I haven’t actually seen completely different behaviour elsewhere on the PGA Tour, though I might say the followers in Australia on the again finish of final 12 months had been enthusiastic and perhaps you may attribute that to the occasion in Adelaide and LIV.
“However that may be drawing an extended bow.”
Scott additionally confirmed he had no Olympic ambition and would cross on a spot in Paris ought to he qualify.
Whereas the highlight is certain to be on 48-year-old Woods this week fellow veteran Scott, who’s 43 and needed to write a letter to match organisers to get an invite in California, is adamant all of the numbers round his sport verify he’s nonetheless “related”, particularly at a course he final tasted victory in 2020.
A top-10 end in Phoenix confirmed he might nonetheless compete, however Scott concedes he has to “adapt” to maintain observe with the raft of highly effective younger gamers on tour.
“Simply evaluating myself to a few of the guys who’re enjoying on the high of the sport, in case you’re numbers and issues like this, which we do lots now, I believe I’m related,” he stated
“However the best way I performed golf 10 years in the past is much less related at the moment then it was then and I must adapt or they’ll cross me by. The younger gamers are enjoying a robust sport and I would like to stay with them.
“On the finish of the day it’s about executing it and I clearly need to perform a little higher job to assume I’m among the best gamers on the planet in the meanwhile.”