In this exclusive interview with Golf Australia columnist-at-large, John Huggan, Adam Scott speaks candidly about playing at home, the Presidents Cup, juggling Tour and family commitments as well as the drive to still be competitive, very competitive, beyond 40.
A little ironically, one thing in which Scott sees little advantage for the “home” team is the Royal Melbourne course. Given that there is really only one way to set-up this iconic and revered venue, messing with it would be “silly.”
“I look at the American team and see a lot of 20-somethings who have travelled the world playing golf,” points out Scott. “Guys like Rickie Fowler and Brooks have been almost everywhere. So they are prepared for a different style of course, one they might not see in the States.
“Besides, only a couple of guys on our side – myself and Marc Leishman – might have a bit more of an intimate knowledge of Royal Melbourne, although having Geoff Ogilvy as an assistant to Ernie will help in that respect. So some of that knowledge can be passed to players without it being a hindrance. When guys are trying hard to manage themselves they sometimes find it difficult to play with the freedom you need in match play.”

Speaking of which, the perennial question with regard to Scott’s all-round game has been his ability to hole-out consistently. While his beautifully fluid full-swing has – to the naked eye at least – changed hardly at all over the course of his 19-year professional career, the same cannot be said of his putting. Not only has the club in his hands changed regularly, so has its length and the way with which it has been wielded. So what is it to be going forward? Long putter or short?
“I’ve switched putters and styles a few times recently,” acknowledges Scott. “And I’ve putted well at times with nearly all of them. I actually look at the grasses on the greens when deciding what to go with. On Poa greens, for example, I like the long putter less. But it is still the most efficient method for me. I have hot runs with others, but they cool quickly. So I’ll be using the long putter at the Presidents Cup. Greens that are fast really favour that club.”
Switching gears briefly brought Scott to some looking back in time and a little bit of the introspection that so often accompanies such thoughts. While his much-admired swing and friendly demeanour have brought him many fans – male and female – around the globe, for many casual observers of the game he is best remembered for the four-bogey finish that cost him victory in the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham. It is a loss that festers within the man himself, albeit only on an annual basis.
“Lytham lingers only when I go to the Open every year,” he says with a rueful smile. “It’s been seven years now and I’ve had some good opportunities to win since then. But the years are passing. My chances to win are inevitably dwindling. I’m injury-free and feeling good but I have fewer chances. I’ve played in 20 Opens but to have as many as another 10 would be amazing. I have to be realistic. Not many players get better in their 40s. Compared to the field at least.
RIGHT: Scott’s loss at the 2012 Open still lingers when he returns to The Open each year. PHOTO: Getty Images.
“Still, I must admit my body is moving and feeling a bit different these days. That’s in a good way. I’m not quite where I want to be just yet. It’s a work in progress. I’m getting older and trying to feel younger. And I am moving in the right direction. I never want to lose the belief that I can still be a great player. But to be world-class at anything you can never be a rounded person. You can only ever be great at one thing. So I’m not sure I can be the greatest dad and the greatest husband while I’m still trying to be the greatest golfer. They are mutually exclusive. I’m fortunate that my wife accepts that – at least for now (laughs).”
Indeed, the clearly distraught figure who stood on the 18th green at Lytham and watched as his close friend Els lifted the Claret Jug skyward, has mostly gone. Now married to Marie and the father of two young children, Scott’s perspective on the game and life in general has inevitably shifted.
“Marriage and fatherhood changes all of us and I am no different,” he confirms. “My kids are four and two. I love it. We have two kids who are fun and seem really happy. They seem to take after both my wife and I. It’s a healthy mix. They are a bit more social than me, but they also have a serious side which is a bit more me.
“So my life has changed so much. Especially my professional life. I try to be there for my family as much as I possibly can. I feel like they get the short straw sometimes though. I have to be better organised than I was before I was married and became a father. That’s the biggest change. But it is always evolving as they get older.
“It sounds ridiculous, but to win the career Grand Slam is a great goal for me at this point … And I am only three wins away.” – Adam Scott
“I do feel like I am better at letting-go of the golf. The kids don’t care how I play, although my daughter wants a trophy. She is competitive and always asking, ‘where’s the trophy?’ I’ve been so single-minded and so focused on my golf for so long, it is probably taking a little bit longer than my wife would like for me to let it go completely when I’m home.”
Those sorts of adjustments look set to continue too.
“My schedule will probably change when the kids go to school,” agrees Scott. “But maybe I’ll be at a stage where I’ll be happy to do that. I’ve been part of this circus for a long time. So maybe a change will be a good thing if and when it happens. I am sometimes away for three weeks and it is hard. The phone calls home are difficult and the first time the kids said ‘don’t go’ was very hard to handle.
“We have made a lot of adjustments as a family so that I can get the most out of the next five years or so. I don’t want to be looking back and wishing I had done something different. It sounds ridiculous, but to win the career Grand Slam is a great goal for me at this point. Only a very small group of people have achieved that. And I am only three wins away. I just have to be very sure about which ones to win. But it is possible. My career so far shows that I am capable of winning on all three stages. I just have to do it.”
It would be best not to bet against him achieving at least part of that lofty goal. Adam Scott is looking good. He’s certainly sounding good. And, on the evidence of the recent past, he remains better than good.
Related Articles

Ogilvy Column: It's going to be stressful. I’m going to be busy. But I am ready

Huggan: Confident tours wouldn't be bothered by LIV Golf
