Adam Scott is eager to write his name into the history books at Riviera
- Ben Rooth
- 18 February 2021
The Aussie will bid to join the exclusive list of successive winners in L.A.
Adam Scott is looking to make it back-to-back victories at the Genesis Invitational this week.
If successful, the Australian would be the eighth player in the history of the event to win the title in consecutive years and the first from his country to do so.
He would join a start-studded list. It includes legends Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson.
Before last year's two-shot victory, Scott had also triumphed at Riviera back in 2005. However, only two rounds were played that year due to inclement weather. It went down as an unofficial PGA TOUR win in the record books.
With 14 TOUR wins to his name, Scott's sights are still set on one target. Here's what he had to say ahead of his latest bid to win the California event.
On the positive memories that come to mind from his victory at Riviera last year
"I love this place here at Riviera and although I won the tournament before, it was in different circumstances, so to win last year with four rounds, but also an incredible field, an amazing atmosphere out here, it's a special memory for me."
"Obviously looking back on it, it was nice to get a win in before we shut down for such a long period of time. It's nice that we can be back. The course is fantastic, but we're missing the crowds obviously, but I'll still be trying hard to defend this title."
How his game feels at the moment after a T10th finish at the Farmers Insurance Open
"I think my game is improving. I was right up there at Farmers, I think I was in the lead on the back nine Saturday at one point, but really struggled a little bit on Sunday, just didn't feel great and that's not a good course to feel like that on, it's a very tough course. Hung in there for a top 10 but trying to improve all areas and this is a good time of year to get your game sorted out. This is a tournament special to me, but then as we move over to Florida and into Augusta, it's a good time to be feeling good about the game."
On whether Riviera is a good barometer for his game compared to other courses
"I think everyone, or certainly top players have such a big focus on Major Championships. Then a few other Championships. Generally, the quality of golf course they're played on is at a very high standard and Riviera fits that category. I feel like if you've had a good week here, it's a good measure certainly of where your game is at. There would be an exception if you didn't hit it well around here and you had a good week, but it can happen. It's such a demanding course into the greens here that if you played well here, you're pretty much ready for any event. To answer that, Riviera is one of them."
How he's going to navigate the 10th hole this week
"I think the strategy now is to move it down as far as you can to the front left of the green. Obviously hitting a 3-wood, it's hard to control exactly where it's going to finish, or driver, but I think that's generally the best play. The green is so narrow and this week it's so firm, I certainly don't want to leave myself a 90-yard pitch. There's probably very little chance of hitting the green actually, so then you get into that bunker situation. So, get it down near the front left. It could only be conditions or wind or something that would change that strategy I think for me. You've just got to get it down there, roll the dice a little bit. If you hit a hell of a shot and it ends up on the green, then that's great. Otherwise, just start working at scrambling from around the green. Sometimes you have to chip it from 30 feet, that's the best you can do."
On managing his frustration and trying to be patient when he's on a barren spell
"It is difficult because you expect a lot out of yourself and you know what you're capable of, especially if you've had the results. When it's not happening, sometimes it's hard to put a finger on why. I think in those times is when it's really important to have a great support crew around you, who can be very objective and maybe honest, maybe not. Maybe they've got to sugarcoat it, but you need that other set of eyes to really be objective and tell you exactly what the difference is that they see from when you were playing so free and easy to making it look very hard or at least feeling very hard."
On trying to equal Greg Norman's 20 TOUR victories
"I think it's a bit of a milestone for the PGA TOUR. If I'm not mistaken, it's kind of that lifetime membership if you hit 20 and that was the thing, that was a mark I'd like to do quickly so I can take advantage of that lifetime membership because I'm getting a bit older.
"I'm very confident that I've got quite a few wins left in me, but also, I'm aware I'd like to do that at a pretty quick fashion. If I'm to achieve really what I want out of my career, I'm going to have to do that because it's not easy to win out here and time is working against me a little bit, even though I feel like I'm in a good spot."
On whether he has a window to try and get to 20 wins
"I think I can over the next five years. I can win another 10-plus tournaments, as long as I'm still physically in good shape. But, that's a commitment to do that. I'd like to push on hard and I'd really like to see myself get on a bit of a roll at some point in the next couple years and rack up some wins. I've watched a lot of guys do it over the past or five or six years, like Brooks or Dustin, who consistently wins, but thinking back to Jason Day, he won nine times in 18 months maybe. So, I'm looking to try to work my game into that kind of form. I see all the areas at times good enough, I just have to put it all together."
Paddy Power have priced Adam Scott at 13/2 for a top-five finish and 30/1 to defend his title.
