Adam Scott desperately wants his children to witness their dad win a Major championship, revealing it is the driving force behind his quest to win an elusive second Masters title this week.
Scott’s three children – daughter Bo Vera and sons Byron and Björn – weren’t born when he broke one of Australia’s biggest sporting hoodoos by winning at Augusta National in 2013.
He was the first Australian to don Augusta’s coveted green jacket but he has not managed to win a second Major title in the nine years since.
Scott is determined to pull it off and show his kids something better than the series of highlight videos they’ve seen YouTube of his Masters win.
“As much as I want to win a second Masters for myself, I think my family want to see me get it done for the journey they’ve been on with me,” Scott told Australian Golf Digest on Tuesday at Augusta.
“It’s fun thinking about my kids hopefully seeing me win at Augusta; they don’t understand why I don’t win trophies every week.
“Obviously, it’d also be great for me to become a multiple Major champion for the sacrifices I think I’ve made to the game.”
Scott’s form in 2022 is the best he’s brought to a Masters since 2016 when he arrived with two PGA Tour wins under his belt. Granted, his results leading up to April 2020 – a win at the year-ending 2019 Australian PGA Championship and the Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour in February 2020 – were better. But the 2020 Masters was postponed from April to November due to the pandemic.
The Queenslander hasn’t been able to recapture that form until now. The world No.36 owns four tops 10s already this year – two during the European Tour’s Middle East swing in January and two on the PGA Tour. He secured a final eight berth at the recent WGC Match Play.
“I’m probably playing the best I have since Covid hit,” said Scott, who was wearing his green jacket on Tuesday for Augusta formalities including the annual champions dinner (hosted by Hideki Matsuyama this year). “I was in great from when the pandemic hit and it slowed me up the last couple years.”
Scott’s results in the Majors since the pandemic have been lacklustre; only one top-25 result in the seven Majors held since Covid. “It’s taken me a while to find my rhythm again and I’ve found it; I’m playing well,” he said.
But he says the fire in his belly has reignited almost to the level of 2013; when he came to that Masters determined to atone for his collapse at the 2012 Open Championship eight months before. He led the 2012 Open by four shots with four holes to play only to bogey those four at Royal Lytham, handing good mate Ernie Els the Claret Jug.
“I think the hunger is there and the intensity is there … it’s all a mindset for me because the physical aspect of the game is right where I want it to be,” he said on Tuesday.
“The place I was in mentally between 2012 open and the 2013 Masters was a high level of motivation, hunger and intensity to get the win. I think I’m realising now that I can put myself in that space again.”
The stats show Scott is in position to contend this week; although his driving is ranked 79th on the PGA Tour he believes his newly-acquired TaylorMade driver and fairway metals have restored his confidence off the tee.
Scott’s iron play is sharp (46th on the PGA Tour) while his putting (13th) is the best it has been in his career.
“Hopefully, I have another six years at top level,” he said. “I do believe my best golf is ahead of me and that may sound weird but Vijay did it in his 40s,” he added of golf great Vijay Singh, who won the 2004 PGA aged 41.
“I think all the advancements in information and technology are now falling into place for me to do well.”
Scott is joined in the field by countrymen Cam Smith, the best-ranked Australian at world No.6, as well as Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Cam Davis and Min Woo Lee. Scott will tee off in Thursday’s first round grouped with world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau at 10.56am US time (12.56am Friday AEST).
