For one man in the field, this week is about the triple crown. For everyone else other than Adam Scott, it&aposs plain. “It&aposs about us trying to stop him,&apos&apos said John Senden, the Queenslander who won the Open at Royal Sydney in 2006. Senden believes Scott has gone to another level that he has seen up close. “He&aposs got that high belief, he&aposs really starting to show his true talent of where he really should be. And that&aposs No. 1 in the world almost. If he keeps on with the same form next year, I think he&aposs good enough to be No. 1.&apos&apos Brisbane native Senden is the sleeper in the field. It was here in 2006 that he reached his highest point, lasering iron shots close to the pins on the difficult par-three 17th and the beautiful ampitheatre of the 18th hole to win his first national title with a pair of closing birdies. Until then, Senden had been chipping away in America unheralded. &apos&aposI have good memories. I won here in &apos06, then it was a battle for a couple of years, then in &apos10 and &apos11 I finished second behind Greg Chalmers at The Lakes, and the year before was close as well. I had my chances both years. Tiger Woods was there. It was a nice highlight. It&aposs not many times I&aposve beaten Tiger Woods but that was pretty cool. “It (2006) is my best memory ever in Australia. After 36 holes I was nowhere near it at all. We had ordinary weather on the first two days, the third day I got back into it, I went five-under. Then I shot low on the last day. At no real stage until round four was I in it, then I started to come home alright. I didn&apost really have the pressure on me, whereas last year and the year before, you&aposre at the lead all the time. It&aposs a different feeling.&apos&apos With is premium on ball-striking Royal Sydney suits Senden, by repute one of the best in the world from tee to green. “I feel like I strike the ball well enough around the narrow golf course. The greens are undulating, so it&aposs not really easy to hole putts. If I watched the last three events in Australia it&aposs been good ball-striking but also good putting that&aposs got the guys to the top of the leaderboard. That&aposs always the case. “I saw (Matt) Kucher the way he played, and I saw Scotty who always strikes the ball well, but he&aposs been putting solid the last 18 months. It&aposs what&aposs given him a fantastic year as well. I&aposm really excited to play to see if we can challenge Adam Scott, knock him off the triple crown.&apos&apos Senden came to The Lakes for the Open last year as the world No. 38, in his best form. This year is vastly different. His world rank has plummeted to 120th after his worst season on the PGA Tour in some time. Injuries — a nasty rib problem early and then a wrist issue caused by overcompensation for the first injury — cruelled his 2013. But Senden has sorted out the ailments and he made a good start to the new PGA Tour season, including a fourth recently. “I feel like it&aposs turned a bit,&apos&apos he said. “Twelve months ago I was feeling a lot better about myself. Now I feel like I&aposve been able to grind through it and I&aposm going in the right direction.&apos&apos
Author: Martin Blake at Royal Sydney