Scott aims to reel in the Great White Shark
LIFE begins at . . . nearly 40? Adam Scott will wave goodbye to his 30s in July but far from agonising over the prospect of hitting a certain vintage than can bring others out in cold sweats, the Australian is relishing the onset of a new decade.
At 39, Scott proved he still has plenty of golfing miles in the tank as he won his 14th PGA Tour, and a first in four years, at the Genesis Invitational at storied Riviera.
With his compatriots, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Wade Ormsby all winning on the PGA Tour and European Tour in recent weeks, Scott’s success in LA on Sunday added to the feelgood factor among the Aussie contingent.
Scott is certainly in fine fettle.
His boyhood idol, Greg Norman, remains Australia’s most decorated golfer with 20 PGA Tour titles but Scott is keen to hunt down the Great White Shark’s record.
Glory at the Genesis was a good start in that particular quest. As Chief Brody didn’t quite say in Jaws: “You’re gonna need a bigger trophy cabinet.”
“It’d be great to be up there in that discussion; Greg [Norman] was my idol growing up. And his list of accomplishments was so long that if you get close to any of them, it’s fantastic,” said the 2013 Masters champion, who has moved up to seventh in the world rankings after his weekend win.
“Hopefully, this is the first step in a multiple-win year.
“There’s a lot of golf ahead of me with some great opportunities.
“I need to make the most of that moving forward and if, one day, I get up to [Norman’s] level it’d be incredibly satisfying.
“Everyone tells me I’m turning 40 this year, I don’t know if they’re insinuating that’s kind of the beginning of the end.
“There’s no doubt, the age of guys peaking is getting younger. There’s far fewer dominant players in their 40s today than there was before. “But I feel lucky.
“At the moment I’m very healthy as far as a golfing 39-year-old goes.
“I’ve got to make the most of that while I’m out here. It’s only going to get harder probably.”
Prior to his victory on the west coast of the USA, Scott’s last win on the PGA circuit was at a 2016 WGC Championship showpiece.
His first worldwide win since then, meanwhile, came on home turf in the Australian PGA Championship before Christmas.
“For a couple years [the title drought] weighed on my mind,” conceded Scott of a couple of barren years.
“It was frustrating and I was pushing myself very hard and in the wrong direction.”
Having ended his PGA Tour drought, it’s tempting to say that the only way is up now for Scott but, as we all know, golf is not like that.
You can never take anything for granted in this fickle old game.
However, as he basked in the glory of a victory over the strongest field assembled this year on the global stage, Scott set his sights on a prolonged period of prosperity.
“I really do believe if I can maintain motivation and focus, the next five years can be my best years on tour,” he declared, showing the confidence we have come to expect from the pro.
Though he was quick to modestly add: “However, that’s easy to say but very hard to do, because there are so many great players.”
The next five years can be my best on tour