MONTREAL – Adam Scott gazed at a painfully acquainted leaderboard perched simply left of the 12th inexperienced as a couple of dozen followers lingered stoically. The U.S. Presidents Cup group was 10 minutes away from clinching its 13th victory within the occasion and there was nothing the Australian may do about it.
The Royal Montreal version was Scott’s 11th begin within the biennial blowout that has, save for a single second in a earlier century, gone solely the People approach, and it was unattainable to not learn the physique language of a participant who’s 0-10-1 on the worldwide stage.
It wasn’t at all times this fashion. When Scott started his profession within the matches, he was the fresh-faced up-and-comer — The Gamers champion — decided to problem the US’ dominance within the sport.
In his first begin on the matches in 2003, Scott went 3-2 for a group that performed the U.S. facet, and Tiger Woods, to a attract South Africa. Two years later at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership in Virginia, he once more produced, going 3-1-1, regardless of an Worldwide loss.
Every part since has been a disappointment.
Following one other fruitless week for the Remainder of the World, Scott is now 22-28-6. Misplaced on that scale is his victory alongside Taylor Pendrith on Day 2 that set the group file for factors gained and helped sq. this version at 5-5, however finally did little to alter an consequence that’s develop into far too acquainted.
Scott hasn’t had a successful file since his first two Presidents Cups and he was 2-3 at Royal Montreal because the U.S. group rolled to an 18 ½ to 11 ½ victory. But even in defeat — simply as he has been for greater than twenty years — he held tight to the notion that victory is within reach for the Worldwide group.
“I had an important feeling for this group coming in. I felt like there’s been an evolution below this protect the final two cups, 4 or 5 years of that, and buy-in from all of the worldwide gamers,” he stated following his Sunday singles loss to Collin Morikawa. “It’s one thing that they aspire to play for. However , the consequence sadly is identical.”
Greater than some other participant, Scott has been the face of the Presidents Cup, for generally higher and as a rule worse.
Morikawa was his 11th totally different singles opponent and he’s had 19 totally different companions in group play with little to indicate for his efforts. Whereas his loss Sunday dropped him to 5-6 within the particular person format, it’s his group play that’s so baffling.
From Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to Pendrith and Hideki Matsuyama, he’s performed alongside the Remainder of World’s greatest with stunningly poor outcomes and but he stands because the pleasure, and maybe the ache, of the Worldwide group.
When requested Sunday if he was pushed to earn a spot on the 2026 squad that may tackle the People, it was Tom Kim, who’s half Scott’s age, who spoke for the group.
“Let’s make it three extra. Three extra,” Kim declared.
That’s the factor about legacies: they’re not at all times full of accomplishments and accolades. For the whole lot that Scott has earned in his profession, from successful a significant championship to greater than twenty years on the PGA Tour and 14 Tour titles, the Presidents Cup has at all times pushed, and baffled, him.
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“There’s virtually no precedent, not less than not for our facet — I imply 11 Presidents Cups,” Geoff Ogilvy, certainly one of Mike Weir’s assistant captains at Royal Montreal, stated of Scott’s legacy. “He began as a child with Ernie [Els] and Vijay [Singh] and [Angel] Cabrera and all these guys and he’s performed all through to Tom Kim and stuff. It’s like he’s gone throughout generations. He’s the heartbeat of the group. He begins speaking and all the youngsters cease speaking. When Adam Scott talks concerning the Presidents Cup you cease to pay attention.”
It appears unlikely the 2024 Presidents Cup can be Scotts’ final however in golf, as in life, time is undefeated. He wanted a late-summer tools and perspective change to qualify for this 12 months’s group and he admitted that the sport is turning into more and more troublesome.
“I’ve numerous enjoyable with these guys. I instructed them at the beginning of the week it’s them who’s motivating me and galvanizing me to make this group,” Scott stated. “The usual of golf is so excessive, and it’s getting more durable for me to maintain up, but it surely’s them that I look to to see what the usual is that I must compete and be on this group. Hopefully I can stick with it for one more couple years.”
However whereas the physique and sport, which produced 4 top-10 finishes in his remaining 5 begins of the season, stay prepared, there’s no ignoring the truth that when the following match is performed Scott can be 46 years previous. Whereas that can be properly wanting the oldest participant to ever play for the Worldwide group — that honor belongs to Jumbo Ozaki, who was 49 when he performed the ’96 matches — there’s no denying that the sport is trending youthful and youthful.
Scott can be concerned a method or one other on the ’26 matches, both as a a vice captain or a participant (he’s wager to captain in Australia in ’28), however as he completed one other week on the mistaken facet of the victory column it was unattainable to disregard what he’s meant, not simply to the Worldwide group however to an occasion that continues to desperately seek for parity.
