Adam Scott, from Australia, hits for the sand to the 10th green during the first round of the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. AP Photo/Mark Duncan
It used to be so easy and effortless. But now, nothing. If he makes the cut, it’s an accomplishment as Adam Scott has missed the cut in four of the last five majors. At the US PGA, he finished 17 over par and has five club professionals to thank that he didn’t finish last.
Luck plays a big part in sport, and in golf in particular. When you are down, Lady Luck seems to turn her back on you. And Scott has been unlucky in the majors this year.
At both the US Masters and British Open, he missed the cut by a single stroke.
When you are a struggling golfer, the game has a number of means up its sleeve by which to torment you. It knows your weak points and seems to have a talent of honing right in on them.
There is nowhere to hide.
You are playing an individual sport and it is you against the course and also against the rest of the field. In tennis, you are in a slump, but a win a here and there can mean you are suddenly on a roll. In a golf tournament, you have to be switched on for every shot of every hole.
But when you aren’t feeling it, it can be a cruel and lonely game. Scott has missed nine of 16 cuts this year and seen his ranking freefall from third to 46th.
At least his attitude is still good.
He is not running away from the problems and wants to confront them head-on. “I need to work on what I believe is right,” he said.
You get the sense that he is going to come out of this and emerge a better player for it. Someone with this much talent just doesn’t lose it completely unless their initials are IBF.
Scott is a member of the band of overseas athletes who proudly wave the flag for us.
They give us someone to cheer for and it shows you how much of a topsy-turvy year it is when Mark Webber is the most successful of them all. He has won one race, finished in the top three in five others, and currently sits in second place in the championships.
But back to Scott.
Being a professional athlete might look glamorous and fun, but when you are struggling, it is anything but. You can’t hide in your cubicle and then leave all your problems behind when you go home. Everywhere you go you seem to be reminded of it.
Before the weekend, Y.E Yang had played in seven majors and had made the cut just twice for a best finish of 30th at the 2007 Masters.
Someone telling you twelve months ago that not only was he was going to win a major in a year but at the expense of Tiger Woods is a lot crazier than me telling you that Adam Scott could win one in the next twelve months.
Whiteline
Guest
Greg I'd suggest it's a mental thing with Scott in regards to his 'failure' at majors. What else can it be if he is reasonably successful elsewhere and players he is beating at these tournaments are beating him consistently in the big games.
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
Scott is still ranked 50th in the world, which is not really outside the margin of fluctuation one would expect for a golfer like him. I mean, Appleby is currently ranked 94th, and is anyone talking about him being in free fall? Some further examples include Immelman 57th and Justin Rose 55th. An example of a golfer genuinely in free fall is Michael Campbell of New Zealand, the 2005 US Open Champion. He is ranked 326th, has made just one cut in the last 9 months, and mostly he is missing the cut by 5-10 strokes. I still see Scott's main issue as being his inability to perform at the majors, a problem that has plagued him all his career. Ivanovic's form has also been very mediocre since she hooked up with Scott. I'd be very surprised if they both suffered the yips at the same time. So I'd suggest that the most likely explanation for what is going on is that they are simply enjoying their relationship. At the top level of sport, anything less than 100% commitment will immediately translate into diminished (sporting) performance, because the one certainty is that the competition is 100% committed.
Choppy
Guest
Art, That's very true I'm sure my work would suffer if the alternative was spending time with Ana Ivanovic. LK I don't think he's lacking passion, I think he's just a quiet bloke unlike some of the other Australian golfers over there competing in the USA. He was always talked up because he was Australia's highest ranked golfer for a long time.
LK
Guest
I take your point Choppy. But there was a period of time when he was talked up by the media before every major, only to disappoint. In interviews he seems dull and lacking in passion.
Art Sapphire
Guest
He's dating tennis babe Ana Ivanovic - I'd be distracted from my golf game as well. When Adam misses the cut he gets to spend the weekend with Ana - that's pretty good incentive. :)
Choppy
Guest
I disagree LK, at least Adam Scott has the heart and work ethic, the Poo just relied on his amazing talent and surprisingly enough it was good enough for him to almost make it to the top and win a grand slam. At least with Adam Scott most of the public won't be thinking 'Image what he could achieve if he actually had a go'.
LK
Guest
He kinda reminds me of the Poo. He has a good game and is able to match it with the big boys, but just can't do it consistently. I wonder if he will be one of those guys who never really fulfil their potential.
Choppy
Guest
I feel sorry for him, he really looks like he's struggling. He's too good of a player to be down for too long....