Scott reunites with Williams for Masters
Aussie, caddie seek 2013 repeat
Adam Scott has been beaming since arriving Saturday at one of his favorite places in the world, Augusta National Golf Club.
As much as he can, he’s been wearing his favorite jacket all about the grounds, the green jacket he won in 2013 in a playoff in the Masters.
The Aussie’s form is excellent — he’s won twice this year — and his putting stroke after moving on from anchoring is solid.
So ahead of Thursday’s start of the 80th edition of the Masters, Scott isn’t deviating one iota from his blueprint to add a second Masters title.
That includes Steve Williams on the bag, just like he was in 2013.
“It’s all part of the plan. Steve’s and my record is fantastic,” Scott said.
Williams, the longtime caddie who was on the bag for three of the four Masters Tiger Woods won, retired in 2014. He returned to caddie for Scott in last year’s U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. They agreed last year to team again in this year’s Masters.
Scott didn’t have any second thoughts after winning the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship in back-to-back weeks this year with David Clark on the bag. At every turn since, Scott has been firm in saying he was going to stick to the plan when asked if he’d change his mind.
“He’s back out here,” Scott said of Williams. “We’re on a mission this week. We’d love to win another green jacket. It’s going to be heads down, and that’s all we’re going to think about.”
Scott is back on the elite level in golf, ranked No. 7 in the world and among the favorites this week. After struggling to switch from his anchored putting stroke, Scott got a handle on his putter late in 2015, and his win in the Honda was his first since 2014.
The following week at Doral he buried a 6-footer for par on the 72nd hole to defeat Bubba Watson by one shot.
This week, Scott is confident his putter will not present any issues on the undulating, slick Augusta greens.
“I’ve said all along that as soon as I get on greens like these, the faster, quicker greens, I’m going to putt better,” Scott said. “The fast, quick greens like back at home (in Australia) are my favorite greens to putt on. And I think the rhythm of my stroke is ideal for the pace of these greens.”
The rest of his game is on point, too. Last week in the Bahamas, he put in four long days of prep work.
“One of the days I was out there with Justin (Rose), and we’d look at each other and no one would leave first,” Scott said. “It was a full day’s work. ...
“It’s huge coming into any major to have confidence. Because you need your game to be on point here, because it’s hard to just find it during the week and to find the confidence you need to hold up for four days of the Masters. The preparation has been good, the confidence is high and now it’s down to me to execute.”
Scott sees himself doing just that. He said his fortunes changed when he started envisioning his future. He made himself believe he was going to win a green jacket and play well in the British Open and so forth.
“That was the difference in my career. I started seeing things happen,” Scott said. “I have to believe that I am going to win this week and no one else has a chance. That’s how you have to think.”
“We’re on a mission this week.” Golfer Adam Scott, teaming with caddie Steve Williams in the Masters