The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scott says game ‘grooving’ again
Masters champion in 2013 still seeking a follow-up major.
AUGUSTA — Next to that of Tiger Woods, Adam Scott had THE swing on the PGA Tour: a money-making metronome of simplicity and power.
It was good enough — and repeatable enough — to carry him to 10 wins, including the Masters, from 2003-13.
While he has won three times on the PGA Tour since becoming the first Australian to earn a green jacket, he has yet to win another major.
He seems confident that could change this week.
“I like where my game is at coming in,” he said. “I’m certainly flying way under the radar, but that’s absolutely fine.”
Scott, 36, thought he was in position last year after finishing tied for second at the Northern Trust Open and then winning The Honda Classic and World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in consecutive weeks.
He may have peaked too soon or become fatigued after playing five times in seven weeks. Whatever the reason, he took the week off before each of the majors, and the good results he experienced didn’t repeat. He finished tied for 42nd at the Masters in a harbinger of a disappointing run in the majors that included no top10 finishes.
He reversed course and will play the week before each major this season.
He missed making the cut by a stroke at last week’s Houston Open, but didn’t seem concerned that it may affect his performance at Augusta National.
“A missed cut by one shot is nothing,” he said. “It’s all fractions in this game. So, you can’t let it affect your confidence too much. Like I said, I’m just trying to save my best stuff for here.”
Scott took advantage of the time to practice in Houston on Saturday and then arrived in Augusta later that day.
He played a practice round at Augusta National on Sunday and “found the game I was looking for.”
Some of that confidence comes from improving his setup and alignment, and some comes from a short game that he said reminds him of when he won the Masters or when he was the world’s topranked player. Though he will likely never approach the skills of Woods or Jordan Spieth with the putter, Scott ranks No. 79 in putting (0.162) this season and 19th in scoring average (70.005). He finished 129th in putting (minus 0.168), but was still third in scoring (69.47) last year.
“I’ve kind of fallen back into the right spot with that and feel like each day I’m just grooving out a little bit better,” he said. “So I like where my game is at coming in.”
Scott will tee off at 9:28 a.m. Thursday with Woods’ former caddie, Steve Williams, carrying his bag. Williams was by Scott’s side in 2013 when he finished 9 under and defeated Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff to take the tournament. They worked together for a while until Williams went into semi-retirement.
The two will work together in the majors, as well as the event before each major.
“This is where we’re at, and he knows where my game is at last week,” Scott said. “He’s not coming in completely blind. That may have been an obvious mistake, but it was something I didn’t think about too heavily beforehand.
“But this year, we’re well-acquainted now and have spent some good time together over the last 10 days. I think we’re on the same page . ... I think we work really well together. So you know, he always looks for my best performance, and I’m determined to show him that this week.”