Scott’s Masters hat-trick blown off course

BY BRENDAN JAMES AT METROPOLITAN GC

On the eve of the Australian Masters’ first round, Adam Scott’s odds of winning an historic third consecutive gold jacket were short, very short. In fact, they were Tiger-esque … at least in that era when he intimidated fields into submission.

By the time the dual defending champ reached his 9^th hole, corporate bookies were rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a big payday. The World No.2 reached the halfway mark of his opening round three-over-par and, at that stage, in a tie for 50^th place and seven shots behind the leaders.

Scott tries to avoid a blast of sand whipped up by the strong wind after playing a bunker shot. PHOTO: Getty Images

At 10 o’clock on Thursday morning, Australian Masters sponsors, organisers and, especially, TV broadcasters would have been nervously watching the progress of the tournament drawcard – after all you can’t win a tournament on Thursday morning, you can only lose one. And despite hitting the ball reasonably well for most of the day, Scott couldn’t buy a putt and looked like he was playing himself out of contention early, which would spell a certain disaster for the event and its organisers. That, however, is the risk you run by putting all your eggs in one basket as IMG have in not attracting a high-ranked rival or two for Scott in this event. The next highest ranked player in this week’s field behind the Queenslander is Geoff Ogilvy, who sits at No.86 in the ranking after his good second half to the PGA Tour season.

Ogilvy, who played alongside Scott and young gun Ryan Ruffels, is three under and three over respectively after the first round.

A frustrated Adam Scott tosses his club into the air during his opening round. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Relief for everyone, including Scott, came at the par-5 6^th hole, his 15^th of the day, when the 2013 US Masters Champion smashed his drive nearly 370 metres down the middle, taking full advantage of the 60-kilometre an hour tailwind. He was left with a short iron into the green and converted the eagle putt from close range.

You could almost hear a collective “Pheeeeew” across the Metropolitan course as his Titleist rattled into the bottom of the cup to reclaim the two shots he had dropped six holes earlier when he double bogied the brutal 434-metre par-4 18thhole. There, playing straight into the teeth of the wind, he hit a wayward drive into the trees. He then hit into a bunker and only found the green with his fourth shot. From there, as he had done on his first eight holes, he two-putted.

As the winds that had created havoc all morning began to subside around lunchtime, Scott signed for a one over 73 that has him in 51st place heading into the second round with plenty of work to do to make any impression on the leaders before the weekend.

“The conditions where tough,” Scott said. “It was blowing strongly and seemed to get stronger through seven, eight nine holes.

“I got a little stuck on 18 and was scrambling for the rest of the day from there. I managed to salvage a couple of shots and walked off feeling not too bad. In wind like this you can’t beat yourself up too much. I hung in there pretty well.”

The 34-year-old blamed much of his woes on his putting.

“On a day like today when it’s tough, when you get in close and you’re looking at birdie, you need to make them because they are so valuable,” he said. “That little bit of momentum at the start that I didn’t have could have set me up for a nice round.

“I just couldn’t get the hang of the greens, and the wind obviously affects putts when it’s this windy. I just didn’t quite have the eye in. I finally holed one on 10 and once you do hole one, you feel more comfortable.”

Scott said a good round on Friday will get him back in the hunt for a third gold jacket.

“There’s no way to attack in this wind,” he said. “The weather is the defence for these courses.”

With sunny conditions and only slight breezes forecast for his Friday afternoon round, Scott will have to take every opportunity he creates if he is to Master Metro.