Scott's got majors on his mind

From the outside, Adam Scott looks much the same as he did in 2000 when he opted to leave college and become a professional golfer. He still has the same perpetual smile and his smooth textbook swing remains the envy of aspiring youngsters around the world.

But Scott is no longer just another guy who can square up a club face as well as anyone in the world. He has grown dramatically as a person and a player.

Now, as he prepares to celebrate his 40th birthday on July 11, the Australian has become one of the game's international leaders, in words and deeds, and is a family man with a wife and two young children.

Scott's continued success has even thrust himself into the conversation as a possible inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Right now, Scott is willing to let others determine his legacy. He is only interested in winning golf tournaments, particularly major championships.

"Winning tournaments is always my goal and we put a huge focus on the majors," Scott said. "Of course, I would love to win any of the other majors later this year. My goal is to keep my game in a spot where that's realistic. I would like to get myself back quickly in that position and see if I can add to that tally this year."

Scott was back in form early in the year when he ended a four-year win-less streak by claiming a two-shot victory at the Genesis Championship at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles. The win enabled Scott to climb back into the world's top 10 after falling as low as 82nd in July 2018.

It was the 14th victory of his PGA Tour career, but his first in 74 starts.

Scott admitted that the drought took a toll. He cited pushing himself too hard in the wrong direction. The Genesis victory helped point him back in the right direction.

"My big goal is to be a multiple major winner and I think the habit of winning is good for that," Scott said.

Although his lone major remains his historic victory at the Masters in 2013－when he became the first Australian to earn the Green Jacket－Scott has an exemplary record in the big events, boasting 19 top-10s in 74 major starts.

In 2019 he tied for eighth at the US PGA Championship, tied for seventh at the US Open and won the Australian PGA for the second time. He was trending in the right direction when the COVID-19 pandemic forced competition to temporarily cease.

"I would like to think most of my achievements are still to come," Scott said. "For me it's about winning major championships. That's the measure of a career, really in this game, but it's always the process of getting there. You don't just show up and win majors randomly. Maybe it can happen once. You can luck into one, but not multiple majors.

"To achieve what I want to achieve, I can't leave it up to luck. There is a lot of work to get there, but I feel like I'm on the right track. There are lots of adjustments throughout my professional and personal life the last few years. Took me some time to just figure out how to balance everything out. I think I'm on a good track now."

A second major would elevate Scott into a different sphere. Out of the 223 major winners, only 82 have won multiple times.

So how does that frame Scott's credentials for eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame?

His current numbers mirror those of American Hal Sutton. Each has won The Players Championship and one major. But Sutton had only eight top-10 finishes in 68 major appearances. Sutton was a finalist for inclusion in the Hall of Fame's Class of 2021 and will almost certainly be inducted soon.

Sutton has one item on his resume that Scott does not－captaincy of an international team, when he was at the helm of the losing US Ryder Cup squad in 2004.

Scott looks a likely President Cup captain in the future. He has made the team nine times and was an unofficial vice-captain for Ernie Els at the 2019 competition at Royal Melbourne. Scott was heartsick when the team squandered a big lead and the Americans fought back for victory on his home soil.

"It will be incredibly disappointing if I played all these and never won a Presidents Cup," he said. "I feel I'd be missing something.

"The last few years, I've put more of myself out there for the team, and so far it hasn't yielded much of a result. It's never fun leaving on Sunday with not having won the trophy."

South African Trevor Immelman will captain the Internationals for the 2021 edition. Scott would likely be next in line. In the meantime, he's been helping add a touch of normalcy to his homeland during the COVID-19 shutdown.

In May he hosted a live-streamed match on Instagram against local pro Wayne Perske at Maleny in Queensland, where a $5 wager was in the balance.

The stakes will be higher when Scott returns to the PGA Tour. The amended 2019-20 schedule will conclude at the Tour Championship (Sept 4-7) at East Lake in Atlanta. He just wants to be in the discussion. And he's ready.

"I have a sense of calm, which has always suited me on the golf course," Scott said. "I definitely walk on the course with a calmness. Maybe it's confidence, but I say calmness."