This could be my year: Scott
ADAM Scott’s game and his confidence have grown so much that he firmly believes this could be the year he wins a Major championship.
The performances of the world No.4 over the past 12 months have earned him the tag of “Major champion in waiting'’ and he has structured his season with them at the forefront, starting with The Masters in April.
“I think probably last year I felt for the first time that I was really capable of winning a Major,'’ he said on the eve of the Johnnie Walker Classic in the Thai resort of Phuket.
“This year even more so, and I’ve really planned my schedule around being prepared for a Major.
“I think preparation is the most important thing for me now going into Majors - just doing all the right things leading up to it. So it’s just a matter of executing on the week.'’
Scott, rated as the best golfer to come out of Australia since Greg Norman, said that in previous years he had not prepared for the big events in the way he should have, but it was different now.
“I feel in the past my preparation has not been geared towards the Majors,'’ he said.
“I’ve worried about every other event leading up to it and wanting to play my best there as well, which I still do, but it’s really like I’ve put the last two weeks behind me.
“I’m not worried, I’m just getting back into it and I’m getting started on my run for Augusta. Certainly, I’m gearing up more for Majors this year.'’
Scott had a solid 2006 that saw him soar through the rankings, and he started this year with a second at the Mercedes Benz Championships in January.
He then took five weeks off and promptly missed the cut at the Nissan Open on his return.
But he is confident the rust has fallen off his game, and he is ready to once again battle Ernie Els this week.
The two went head-to-head at the Singapore Open in November, their last meeting in Asia, with Scott emerging the winner after a three-hole play-off.
“I feel like my game has certainly improved since I last played a tournament round. I’m swinging the club a lot better. The challenge this week is getting the ball to the right spots and the greens are rolling well,'’ he said.
“I think I’m going to make some putts out there this week.'’
While identifying Els as a big threat, he also pinpointed in-form Englishman Paul Casey as the man to beat as well as local favourite Thongchai Jaidee.
“I don’t think I can just single out Ernie, to be honest,'’ he said.
“All respect to him, but I think Paul Casey is in great form and has been for the last six or seven months.
“Retief (Goosen) won a few weeks ago in Qatar, so that’s just for starters. Certainly there are not just one or two players here this week, the field is very deep.
“Colin (Montgomerie) is here, Mike Weir is here, and then obviously the Asian players. I think Thongchai is a fantastic player and I expect him to play well in front of his home crowd, too.'’
Agence France-Presse