Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
A turning-point adrenaline rush has milestone man Adam Scott believing he can once again challenge for a career-fulfilling second golf major.
Scott enters the US Open starting on Thursday night (AEST) as somewhat of a sentimental favourite in his extraordinary 100th major championship appearance.
Australia’s former world No.1 is second only to legend Jack Nicklaus for excellence and longevity but remains more focused on shedding his one-major wonder status than celebrating his crazy feat.
Scott went agonisingly close last year to adding an elusive second major to his iconic 2013 Masters triumph when he snared a share of the third-round lead and playing in the final group on Sunday.
He was right in the mix on the back nine before fading, but believes the experience will stand him in good stead to contend at the famed and treacherous Shinnecock Hills layout on New York’s Long Island.
“It’s going to be brutally difficult, no doubt, and test everyone’s patience, but these are the weeks where I feel any adverse conditions or mental tests are hopefully where some of this experience can pay off,” Scott said.
The 45-year-old recalls his 2025 US Open renaissance as “a big turning point in my game”.
“I’d been really, really struggling with my approach play for the better part of 12 or 18 months leading into that and the week before I made a few adjustments to my equipment,” he told AAP.”Sometimes you can feel it straight away and the confidence came back at Oakmont. I had no momentum all year leading into that tournament and felt that was a real equaliser that week because no one playing Oakmont was going to have any momentum. It’s just so brutal.”It was really a good set-up for me. If I just played the same way, shooting even par no matter what course I played, which isn’t good most weeks on tour, but at Oakmont it is.”So I just went in there with a little boost in confidence, feeling a little better with my equipment through the bag and certainly with my approach play, and that sparked the hunger to get in the mix again and it felt good being in the mix.
“That’s still the burning desire now. I’m definitely playing good enough to put myself in a position where I can contend.”
While Scott is placing his 100-majors celebrations on ice, fellow Australian Lucas Herbert says the achievement should be treasured.
“It’s an unbelievable feat, obviously for him to play 100 in a row,” Herbert said.
“But also for him to actually win a major too. There’s probably about 120 people who have won multiple majors, but probably everyone else on planet earth would take Adam’s career.
“To win a major, particularly Augusta as well, I don’t think it’s fair to say he’s only won one major. He’s always had a lot of chances and if the cards fell the other way, he might have won four.
“He might have won 10. He might have also won none.”
