The disrupted sleep patterns of a father of two are still taking some getting used to but Adam Scott insists his summer break in Australia has him positioned to return to his winning ways in 2019.
The disrupted sleep patterns of a father of two are still taking some getting used to but Adam Scott insists his summer break in Australia has him positioned to return to his winning ways in 2019.
Commencing his PGA TOUR schedule at the Sony Open this week in Hawaii for the first time in three years, Scott has outlined why he believes his best years are ahead of him and the benefits he is feeling from not touching a club for six weeks.
Close to three years without a win anywhere in the world, the former No.1-ranked player on the planet enjoyed something of a resurgence late in 2018, pushing Brooks Koepka all the way before finishing third in the US PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in August.
A tie for fifth at the Northern Trust Open a fortnight later represented his only two top-five finishes of 2018 and as he enters his 20th year as a professional he insists winning tournaments – in particular majors – is now his sole focus on the course.
“I’d like to think that most of my achievements are still to come,” Scott said ahead of his return to Waialae Country Club where he was runner-up 10 years ago.
“For me it’s about winning major championships and that’s still the measure of a career in this game.
“But it’s always the process of getting there. You don’t just show up and win majors randomly, not multiple majors at least. You can maybe luck into one but not multiple.
“To achieve what I want to achieve I can’t leave it up to luck. There’s a lot of work for me to do to get there but I feel I’m on the right track back.
“I feel like I’m in a really good place to take on this year and I really want to get back to winning.
“I feel that is something I have always prided myself on in my career. I was winning tournaments yearly and it’s been two full years now.”
Playing the 2016 Sony Open proved to be a precursor to an incredible run of form for Scott finishing second and recording back-to-back wins in the three subsequent tournaments he played in.
Since that time Scott and wife Marie Kojzar have welcomed son Byron and watched daughter Bo grow, Scott conceding that the balance between golf and family has taken some adjusting.
By playing more tournaments in the middle of 2018 than he might normally play the 38-year-old said it was important he allocate time for his family and give golf a wide berth.
“There have been lots of adjustments throughout my professional and personal life the last few years and as frustrating as it is not to perform as good as you want it took me some time to figure out how to balance everything out. I think I’m on a good track now,” said Scott, the 2013 Masters champion.
“The biggest adjustment has been not sleeping well for two years. It’s a big change from logging a lot of hours to disturbed sleep. You try and manage it your best but there’s not much you can do unless you move out of the house,” he added, laughing.
While Scott’s 2019 schedule won’t take in the three World Golf Championship events at this stage – “I wouldn’t have thought that was the case but that is the case at the moment” – he already has his sights set on being part of Ernie Els’ Internationals team that contest the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December.
“For me, considering Ernie a great friend and mentor of mine, I really want to be on that team,” said Scott, who starts the year ranked No.41 in the world.
“I’ve just got to tick the boxes along the way. I feel like if I get back to winning form I’m going to be on the team.
“For me now it would mean so much to be on a winning team. To turn it around would be quite an achievement for us.
“I want to play really good and get on the team and change things at Royal Melbourne this year.”
As for his prospects this week at the Sony Open where he will be joined in the field by fellow Aussies Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, Cameron Davis and Kiwi Danny Lee, Scott didn’t rule out contending in his first week back.
“I feel like my game is in good shape and ’d like to contend here this week but if I don’t I’ll get a good picture of what I need to work on the next few weeks before I start on the West Coast,” said Scott, who was tied for 56th at Waialae in 2016.
“With where the course is at there are some firm areas on the greens where a bit of rust could be costing you a shot here or there. A slight mistake with an iron in and it can get away.
“Hopefully the good stuff can outweigh some of the rust.”