Adam Scott will finally attain his nearly lifelong aim of becoming the best golfer in the world, but the 2013 Masters champion will do so while idle next week, instead of actively overtaking Tiger Woods for the top spot.
Adam Scott to back into top ranking, may add event to pre-U.S. Open schedule
Adam Scott will finally be No. 1 in the world next week. The 2013 Masters champ would have preferred to play his way to the top rather than attain it by default, so he’ll likely tweak his game by adding a tournament to his pre-Pinehurst calendar.
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Scott, who will become No. 1 in the world after this week’s Byron Nelson Championship no matter what happens at TPC Four Seasons, according to Golf Channel stats expert Alan Robison, had several opportunities to play his way to the first seed but failed to do so each time.
Looks like divisor math will give Adam what he needs to pass Tiger after next week regardless of what he does today.
— Alan Robison (@GolfARob) May 11, 2014 With Woods sidelined for the foreseeable future after back surgery, the current employer of Tiger’s ex-caddie Steve Williams needs to do nothing more than kick back in the Bahamas with new bride Marie Kojzar to ascend to the throne. Robison calculated that Scott would achieve top status even if Nelson competitor Matt Kuchar emerges victorious in Irving, Texas.
I have Adam as #1 after Nelson ... Kuchar would need 53 points to overtake ... Last year, winner earned 40.
— Alan Robison (@GolfARob) May 12, 2014 Scott finished T38 in last week’s Player Championship, and would have preferred to climb the rankings ladder by playing well rather than having to rely on the vagaries of the system to depose Woods, who loses points with each absence.
“I’m here to win golf tournaments. That’s been the goal, and from that you can get to No. 1 in the world if you win enough, often enough,” Scott told reporters Thursday. He reiterated his intent throughout the week.
“I would love to win this golf tournament and ascend to No. 1 that way and not just look for a position to do so,” he said. “I would like to win to go to No. 1 ... So hopefully I’ll take care of it this week and you won’t have to ask me anymore, but it’s not the biggest burden to answer.”
Scott, who for some time has favored a Woods-like selective playing calendar, is not in the field this week. With the Memorial in three weeks already on his schedule, he suggested to Will Gray that he needed more competitive rounds ahead of next month’s U.S. Open.
“I feel okay, but just annoyed that I finished 17 and 18 so poorly yesterday, somewhat sloppy and quite costly, really,” he said after a first-round bogey and double-bogey led to a 5-over 77 on Thursday.
No doubt recalling his opening and closing scores (73 in Sunday’s finale), Scott reasoned he may need more of what Woods likes to term “reps” prior to the men’s second major of the season.
“I think I need to play a little bit, potentially might play some more golf rather than go to the range,” Scott told Gray. “I just feel like I should get out on the golf course. I’ll have to decide somewhere over the next few days what I’m doing.”
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