If Adam Scott is tired, then he is not showing it. The man who will launch his tilt at the triple crown when he tees it up in the Emirates Australian Open reeled off five consecutive birdies on the back nine at the pro-am today just to remind everyone that he is serious about matching Robert Allenby&aposs 2005 feat of winning all three of the big tournaments at home. It was a familiar feeling, given recent events. “I did roll a few putts in on the back nine,&apos&apos he said. “To see a few going in in the pro-am is good, I think. You want to set the tone for the week.&apos&apos Scott&aposs moment has come. In winning the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines and then the Talisker Masters at Royal Melbourne, he has set himself up with a chance of winning the big three. The last time this opportunity arose, with Greg Chalmers in 2011, he could not manage it. Needless to say it is a tough assignment, and Allenby is among those hellbent on making sure that it does not. “I did catch up with Rob last night at the function and asked for some advice about how to go about it, and he didn&apost offer any up,&apos&apos said a droll Scott. “I&aposm left to my own devices this week.&apos&apos Royal Sydney was at its finest this morning as the amateurs joined the professionals for some hit and giggle before the serious stuff begins when Scott and Jason Day tee off with American Kevin Streelman at 7.10am tomorrow. Scott said the course was “just how I remembered it&apos&apos, having played in previous Opens here. “It&aposs got its defences in some of the greens, it&aposs very narrow. You&aposve got to be precise off the tee to give yourself a good look at attacking the course.&apos&apos It is Scott&aposs fourth tournament in a row, after he and Jason Day won the teams section of the World Cup in Melbourne last week. It is a draining schedule that he would rarely if ever attempt to complete, except that he wanted to make his homecoming into a celebration of the Masters triumph. So he has sucked it up and ploughed on, taking a couple of days off after he and Day won last Sunday. “At the end of last week I was tired, and I was tired the last couple of days, but I rested and that&aposs how you have to balance a schedule when you are playing a little more than usual,&apos&apos he said. “I kind of had that in mind, knowing that I was playing four weeks. I&aposve taken the days off where I can in the schedule. Today I feel good, kind of energised to get in. It&aposs the Australian Open, it&aposs the last week of the year for me. I want to finish big. Overnight I&aposve found a bit of energy and it&aposs nice seeing it on the course again.&apos&apos Scott has moved a touch closer to Tiger Woods in the world rankings, 9.80 points to Woods&apos 12.11, after his wins at home. For perspective, he was 3.6 points behind Woods at the end of October when the USPGA Tour season finished, but he knows there is much hard work ahead if he is to haul in Woods and get to No. 1 for the first time. More majors would help, of course, but first he will have a break after the tour&aposs Hawaii swing in January, then it is on to Augusta in April. How many majors? “Two at the moment, I&aposd like to win. I&aposd like to get another one. It was a great feeling going to the US Open being a major champion, but I still haven&apost won the US Open and I still had the nerves and the desire to win that tournament. As much as the pressure&aposs off you can put the pressure on yourself, too. You know you can win and you expect yourself to win one. “I can&apost put a number on it. I&aposd like to win 20, you know, but at the moment I&aposm looking for No. 2 and that&aposs going to be in April at the Masters and that&aposs where my focus will be when I start next year.&apos&apos That&aposs in the future. But make no mistake, his focus is narrow. He dearly wants the triple crown this week. “There&aposs a lot on the line, a lot to play for. I&aposm excited about having a go at it this week. The course is looking good and the competition is tough. I think it&aposll be a well-earned victory for whoever ends up on top.&apos&apos
Author: Martin Blake at Royal Sydney