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.
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