Adam Scott returns early to PGA title hunt

Wednesday, 25 September 2019:

ADAM SCOTT of Australia plays his shot from the eighth tee during the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
ADAM SCOTT of Australia plays his shot from the eighth tee during the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.


Adam Scott will make his US PGA Tour season debut as Australia's top-ranked male golfer but the Queenslander says he'd happily trade that title for a long-awaited victory.

After a solid season in the US, Scott is ranked world No.15 and leads countrymen Jason Day (23) and Marc Leishman (24) by lengths.

But Scott's last win worldwide came in March 2016.

Nine top-10 results from 18 events last season, including two runner-ups, have only left the former world No.1 desperate to break his drought.

While 39-year-old Scott has minor ambitions to crack the world's top 10 once again, his focus is on securing a 14th US PGA Tour title.

It is why Scott is teeing up in this week's Safeway Open in California, his first time playing an official US tour event in September since the tour created its wraparound schedule in 2013.

"I have to win a tournament; that'd mean a good deal to me at this point in my career," Scott told AAP ahead of his event debut at the Safeway Open.

"I've spent a lot of time in the top 10 in my career and it's nice when you're there.

"But rankings change and it's better to know you can close out a tournament, win and have your name forever on a trophy."

Scott closed last US Tour season with top-10s in all three play-off events, culminating with a sixth at the Tour Championship in August.

"I took a break, but only a quick one because things were going in the right direction for me and I don't want to lose momentum," he said.

The 2013 Masters champion has not yet confirmed whether he will play the Australian Open in Sydney in December.

But he will line up for the International team at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne and the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast the week after.

"If I can push through until the end of December at the PGA Championship, then maybe I'll take a good break," he said.

Scott will be joined in the field this week at California's Silverado Resort by fellow Australians Marc Leishman, Aaron Baddeley, Cameron Percy, Rhein Gibson and Cameron Davis.

Scott headlines the event alongside Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, Francesco Molinari, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau.






AAP






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