No main wins in additional than 11 years, and only one PGA Tour victory prior to now eight, Adam Scott stands a sensible likelihood of upsetting the sport’s youthful heavyweights this week on the Open Championship.
It’s a curious actuality heading to Royal Troon given the shortage of chilly, onerous victories the Australian nice has produced lately
However that scarcity has all the time felt misaligned along with his savvy swing, and all-round virtuosity that make him really feel like an element, even when the outcomes say in any other case.
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Fourteen PGA Tour wins — one being the 2013 Masters — and $66m (A$98m) in prize cash marks a profession of glittering achievement, however one that also feels nicely wanting Scott’s capabilities.
For every triumph, golf has delivered no less than one intestine punch to the Australian and, typically, many extra.
Final weekend’s Scottish Open was the most recent time Scott had his coronary heart ripped out on stay tv, and he was pressured to smile and bear it.
Days earlier than his forty fourth birthday, Scott surged on the ultimate day on the The Renaissance Membership to show a three-shot deficit after 54 holes right into a one-shot lead after 72.
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Clutch putt sinks Scott at Scottish Open | 01:39
A drought-breaking, $1.6m (A$2.4m) win was nearly assured when nearest rival Robert MacIntyre pulled his tee shot on the sixteenth into the excessive grass.
With none disrespect in any way to MacIntyre, a tremendous participant who deserves no criticism for taking part in the sport throughout the guidelines, the exceptional twist that adopted felt like an egregious miscarriage of justice in the direction of Scott.
MacIntyre felt a sprinkler impeding his stance at tackle and was afforded a free drop, from which he cashed-in, sparking a frighteningly clutch surge dwelling.
He made eagle from his fortunate reprieve on 16, and later sank a 22-foot putt on the 72nd inexperienced to win by a stroke, triggering scenes of teary elation.
The ecstasy from the house followers solely served to twist the knife caught within the aspect of Scott, whose stoic response was filmed by cameras as he watched from the clubhouse.
Scott now heads to Royal Troon with just one win exterior of Australia since March 2016.
Nevertheless, this brutal blow comes with an amazing silver lining.
The bounce throughout the Atlantic has lit the fuse inside Scott, whose worst spherical in North Berwick was three-under par.
Sprinkler provides MacIntyre ALL-TIME break | 02:57
Scott was again to enjoying a few of his finest golf, significantly when he was firmly in competition.
The 2013 Masters champion made seven birdies in his last spherical, together with three in a row on the entrance 9. After a double bogey on the eighth, Scott rebounded in type with consecutive birdies, earlier than his last push for the clubhouse lead.
It was a number of the particular person performs that he made in the course of the event, nonetheless, that had been most exceptional.
On the ultimate day, Scott holed out from a deep bunker that the six-foot golfer might barely see excessive of.
On the 14th, deep in competition, he fired a dagger that got here to relaxation simply one-and-a-half ft from the opening.
No shot all week, nonetheless, was higher than driver he hit from the green in his second spherical.
Scott flushed a surprising excessive draw that break up by way of the Scottish sky with breathtaking precision, earlier than the ball gracefully bounced and ran up onto the inexperienced.
“Goodness gracious, that is simply out of this world,” the commentator gasped.
The margin between glory and humiliation when enjoying such a high-risk, demanding shot is razor-thin.
Aussies to observe on the 2024 Open | 02:08
Some will likely be swift to notice that one spherical, not to mention one shot, doesn’t catapult a golfer into championship competition alone.
However merely put, it’s not a stroke that anybody with lingering psychological demons can carry out.
Scott’s demons — and he has many — seem like saved firmly at arm’s size.
The shot, and the deep push on the Scottish Open — which boasts one of many strongest fields of the yr — bode nicely for the veteran, whose confidence has been boosted from the expertise.
Talking after the event, Scott had no real interest in enjoying the sufferer. As a substitute, he swiftly turned his eyes in the direction of the larger image, which now comes with a wholesome upside after his finest end on Tour for the reason that 2021 Wyndham Championship.
“There was loads of great things for me this week,” Scott mentioned.
“It’s onerous to complain about something … It’s the primary time I’ve been in competition this yr. I like the place my recreation is headed … going into subsequent week. Really feel like I’m enjoying at a excessive degree.
“I’m working at every little thing on a regular basis, and attempting to not get annoyed, and use that have.
Can Scott contend at 93rd straight main | 01:25
“It feels good to play in competition and hopefully I get one other crack at it at The Open now.”
Scott’s optimistic response to such an unfathomable, sudden flip of occasions shouldn’t come as a shock.
The close to miss on the Scottish would’ve harm deeply, however he’s identified higher ache — one thing he’s reminded of each Open Championship.
Twelve years in the past at Royal Lytham and St Annes, Scott held a four-shot lead over Ernie Els with solely 4 holes to play, earlier than he capitulated in considered one of Australian golf’s darkest days.
Scott inexplicably made bogey at four-consecutive holes to have the Claret Jug slip by way of his fingers, and go to the South African.
Decided to not have the Greg Normanesque meltdown outline him, Scott grew to become the primary Australian to win the inexperienced jacket on the Masters simply 9 months later.
He additionally spent 11 weeks as world No.1 the next yr.
The blow was majorly softened by Scott’s exceptional resilience, however there’s a sense {that a} full-scale redemption received’t be accomplished until Scott wins golf’s grandest event.
Twelve years later, the wait goes on — one thing which former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy believes would sting for Scott.
Scott’s horror meltdown at 2012 Open | 01:30
“To not get it completed it could most likely nonetheless harm slightly bit,” Geoff Ogilvy informed Fox Sports activities.
“It was brutal.
“He outplayed the sphere all week, he was on a mission that point, he was grinding on his golf and was enjoying very well … It exhibits you the way troublesome it’s to win these majors.
“Perhaps it’s important to lose one like that to go win one … however he undoubtedly would like to win an Open as a result of he most likely looks like he’s obtained a little bit of unfinished enterprise.”
At 44 years previous, historical past says that Scott’s finest major-winning years are nicely behind him — however his golf tells a totally completely different story.
Scott stays one of many larger hitters on tour, ranked thirty eighth with a median distance of 306.2 yards.
Extra spectacular, nonetheless, is his ball-striking that enables him to play with a wide range of shapes, together with towering iron photographs that place him alongside youthful gamers similar to Collin Morikawa or Ludvig Aberg.
“He’s nonetheless hitting these photographs that he used to,” Paul Gow famous on Fox Sports activities. “These skyrocketing photographs that are available gentle into greens … he’s been nice at flighting his golf ball over time, so anticipate extra.”
Gow added: “I can let you know, he’s nonetheless considering of successful this golf event. There’s little question.
“He’s performed some actually good golf this yr with out successful. He’ll be quietly assured he’ll contend this week as a result of he loves that atmosphere.”
‘The toughest gap on the earth’ | 01:04
Requested if Scott has another tilt at a significant inside him, Gow added: “Yeah, I prefer to suppose so.”
Anybody who has intently adopted the profession of Scott received’t rule out the likelihood that he does contend, no matter how unlikely it’d’ve appeared even only one week in the past.
Shut calls have taken him to a different degree as a substitute of sending him spiralling.
Even simply final month, Scott was on the point of dropping his streak of enjoying in 91-consecutive majors earlier than he delivered at a 36-hole qualifier. Scott misplaced in a playoff to countryman Cameron Davis, however his efficiency meant he was the sphere’s first different and nearly sure to be referred to as up, which he finally was for his 92nd-straight look.
Scott would undoubtedly favor his legacy to be outlined by an avalanche of event wins.
Nevertheless it’s in these sudden rallies, acts of defiance, and his ever-presence that Scott will likely be remembered.
Capping that off with a late-career, main championship win would merely be the cherry on prime.