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Watching Adam Scott butcher the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill on Monday morning brought back all the nightmares Greg Norman’s devoted fans have experienced over the years.
Scott had this coveted tournament in the palm of his hand after a blistering 62 in the opening round, followed by a 68, to lead by seven shots going into the weekend.
In the first 36 he carded two eagles, 13 birdies and just three bogies. Over the weekend there were no eagles, six birdies and six bogies.
There was an added bonus for Scott if he got the win at Bay Hill, with the world No. 1 ranking up for grabs by the time Scott defends his Masters crown in the first week of April.
So there was plenty to play for. But like his idol Greg Norman did so many times when it counted, Scott blew it.
He ultimately finished third behind 30-year-old Matt Every, who won his first USPGA tournament with 13-under, while Keegan Bradley finished second at 12-under ahead of Scott at 11-under.
To underline how close Scott got, he had an eagle putt on the par-five 16th hole that would have shot him right back into contention.
So what did Scott do? Three-putt it, with his second putt from a foot away not even touching the hole.
The question now is how will the meltdown affect Australia’s best golfer, and the world’s No. 2? Near misses, and Norman’s infamous meltdowns, definitely affected him.
In 1986, Norman led all four majors after 54 holes, but won only one – the British Open. He took out that title again in 1993, but they were the only two majors Norman won.
He finished second in three Masters, the 1996 edition his most infamous. He led playing partner Nick Faldo by six shots going into the final round only to lose by six, yet still finish second despite the 12-stroke turnaround.
Norman was also second in two US Opens (1984 and 1985), second in the 1989 British Open to Mark Calcavecchia in a playoff, and second to Paul Azinger in the 1993 USPGA playoff.
A litany of disasters.
Steve Williams has a major job to get Adam Scott back focused. Williams is the world’s best caddy, and it was staggering that he didn’t seem able to stop Scott’s meltdown.
There are only two more outings before the Masters – the Texas and Houston Opens. Scott is scheduled to play in both, so let’s reserve judgement for now until those tournaments have been decided.
Either way, a golden opportunity to crush a world-class field was lost over the weekend. Scott was overcome by a first-timer, claiming his first win in 94 starts and ranked only No. 94 in the world.
But not for long.