NORTON, Mass. — Holding the blue trophy up next to his Burberry plaid-trimmed tan shirt, Adam Scott looked like a kid. He had just won his first PGA Tour event, the Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC of Boston. The image is from nearly 17 years ago, September 1, 2003, and the victory moved the 23-year-old Australian up from 40th to 18th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
About seven months later, Scott would win again, but this time it would be the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. His ranking improved after that victory to No. 12. From that point forward, Scott would be a presence at big-time events and a fixture among the game’s elite players. His crowning achievement came nine years later when he became the first Australian to win the Masters by defeating Angel Cabrera in a playoff in 2013.
Now 40, Adam Scott is back at TPC Boston this week. He begins the 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs at No. 36 on the point list thanks to a win at Riviera in February at the Genesis Invitational. He will easily qualify for next week’s BMW Championship in Chicago, but he has some work to do if he wants to make it to the Tour Championship at East Lake.
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“Obviously in this run the next few weeks, a lot can happen, and given everything that’s gone on this year, I’m kind of pleased with my position, actually,” Scott said on Tuesday.
After returning to Australia as the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic, he took a wait-and-see approach before returning to the United States and the PGA Tour. His first event since the PGA Tour restarted in June was at the PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park two weeks ago. Scott finished T-22.
Adam Scott after winning the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Before his virtual press conference, Scott was busy practicing on the putting green. His swing has always delivered effortless-looking power and been one of the most admired among his peers, but inconsistent putting has been a constant frustration. Back in 2003, he used a traditional-length Scotty Cameron Newport putter. These days, he puts his right hand in a pencil-grip halfway down a broomstick-style putter. He holds the top of the club in his left hand, inches away from his sternum, then rocks his shoulders and lets the massive putter head swing through the ball.
He did not wear a hat throughout most of the session, and a few streaks of gray could be seen.
If Adam Scott could give his younger self some advice, what would it be?
“I liked a lot of the things that that guy did at the time. He was on a good path,” Scott said with a smile after some thought. “I was kind of on that rise up, being a young pro, but then once you kind of get near the top 10 in the world, it’s a real
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By: David Dusek
Title: Adam Scott reflects on growth since first Tour win ahead of Northern Trust
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/08/19/pga-tour-adam-scott-growth-win-northern-trust/
Published Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:00:43 +0000