Adam Scott earned his first - and long-awaited - major title at the 77th Masters Tournament. Will this open the major floodgates for Scott or is he one and done? GolfChannel.com writers weigh in with their thoughts on how many majors Scott will win in his career.
By RYAN LAVNER
Three.
Adam Scott’s ball-striking will give him a chance in every tournament he enters, and it’ll be those rare weeks when he marries that long-game prowess with a hot flatstick that he’ll bag another major title. This year’s British Open, for instance, presents another ideal opportunity. But there is reason for concern. First, the potential anchoring ban could curb his upside – from 2008-10, before he switched to the broom-handle putter, he ranked no better than 178th in strokes gained-putting. An adjustment period looms. And secondly, this Masters victory will bring a new level of celebrity, and deservedly so. How he adjusts to the distractions and the attention and the new off-course opportunities will determine if he’ll be more than an immensely talented one-hit wonder.
By REX HOGGARD
Two.
At the risk of dulling the shine that has been cast by Adam Scott’s inspiring victory on Sunday at Augusta National, estimates that this triumph will open the floodgates to more major glory feel greatly exaggerated.
We give the Australian one more Grand Slam, not because he’s not talented or driven enough to collect them like candy, but because golf’s competitive landscape is set to shift dramatically in the next few months, if not weeks.
The USGA and R&A are expected to rule on anchoring and the fate of the long putter seems bleak following Scott’s victory. Augusta National was perched on the fence when asked about the impending decision last week, but that indifference may change now that Scott completed the “Anchoring Slam.”
With a monsoon of respect for Scott, he did not “putt” his way to a green jacket. For the week, he finished 39th in putting and first in greens in regulation.
As good as Scott is Tee to Green, his putting with a conventional putter is suspect at best. Prior to 2011 when he switched to the broom-handle putter he had ranked outside the top 175 in strokes gained-putting the previous three seasons. This year he is 80th in that category.
Scott is talented enough to win many more majors, but he may be running out of time.
By WILL GRAY
One.
“Surely, this will open the floodgates for him.”
It feels like the de facto response anytime a top-ranked player finally breaks through with a major triumph. Adam Scott has demonstrated the ability to win multiple top-tier events, now including a major. Becoming the sixth player since 2001 to win a second major, though, may be easier said than done.
With the recency bias in full effect, it can appear as though the question for the 32-year-old Aussie is not if he will win another major, but how many he will ultimately bring home. Consider this, though – countryman Steve Elkington was 32 years old when he won the 1995 PGA Championship. Likewise, Fred Couples was 32 when his ball stopped on the bank of Rae’s Creek at the 1992 Masters. Jim Furyk, Ian Woosnam and Davis Love III were all 33 years old when they finally captured an elusive major title. At the time of their wins, each of these men appeared destined to capture multiple majors, but years later each has only his maiden triumph to his credit.
The game right now has a deeper talent pool at the top than it has in years, as evidenced by the fact that the last 18 majors have been won by 17 different players, and if anything, last year’s British Open demonstrated just how easily a win can slip away. For Scott specifically, a likely switch back to a conventional putter in the near future may also require an untold period of adjustment. So while it would not surprise me to see him add another major trophy to his green jacket, at this point I predict that when he looks back on his career, this past week will remain both his greatest achievement and his lone major title.
By JASON SOBEL
Three.
There’s a question that gets asked anytime a talented player claims his first major championship: Now that he has one, will the floodgates open?
I’ve got news for those questioners. The floodgates are closed. For everyone.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, 18 different players have accounted for the last 19 majors. Nobody is winning majors in bunches.
On the heels of his Masters win, expect Adam Scott to follow suit. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a terrific player. Just don’t count on him winning, say, three of the next six.
In fact, I’ve got him taking just two more in his career. On the heels of Sunday’s success, that may sound like an insult, but it isn’t. Three career wins would put him in a class just behind Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, equal to Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington. A better comparison is that he may wind up being this generation’s Billy Casper, which is high praise indeed.
Floodgates? Nope, they’re closed – at least for now. But Scott will win a few more majors before his career is over.
By RANDALL MELL
TBD.
Adam Scott won’t be “one and done” winning major championships, but just how many he wins probably depends on whether anchored putting is banned.
Pencil me in for one more green jacket for Scott if anchored putting is banished, two more if he can keep using that broomstick-handle putter. He’s now in that class of players whom Augusta National anoints as regular contenders. At 32, he will keep giving himself chances.
Since Scott began using a long putter, his major championship record has dramatically improved. He tied for second at the Masters in 2011, the first time he put a long putter into play in a major. He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 there with it. He has finished T-9 or better five times in the last nine majors with it. That’s more top-10s than he had in the previous 39 majors he played.
Given his ball-striking prowess, his age and growing confidence now, Scott looks like a guy who could win two to five major championship titles, depending on what happens with the rules governing his putting.