Adam Scott rues rough Open Championship draw
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Adam Scott looks back on his attempt to win the Claret Jug at Hoylake and rues the rough end of the draw in an Open Championship won by Rory McIlroy
Some times you get the luck of the draw and sometimes you don’t. That is what world number one Adam Scott is reflecting on as he heads back home to the Bahamas after the 2014 Open Championship.
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Scott shot his best score of the week in the final round at Royal Liverpool today; 66, six under par, to finish on 276, 12 under par overall, and five shots behind champion Rory McIlroy.
Yesterday it was Justin Rose who said there was the “other tournament” being played at Royal Liverpool, between the golfers who were drawn to play late in the first round on Thursday, and early in the second round on Friday, thereby having to play in the worst of the conditions for both rounds. All the other golfers who joined Scott in the top five of the final leaderboard this evening started the championship in the more gentle conditions on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon.
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“It was such a lop-sided draw this week,” said Scott, 34, who won that ‘other tournament’. “Only a couple guys from my side of the draw made it into the top 25 after two rounds. Being nine back by then, after Rory played two beautiful rounds, it was very hard to catch up.
“I am disappointed, but you can get on the wrong side of the draw every now and again. I probably could have done a better job of limiting the damage on Friday morning but it was pretty tough out there. I shot one over par but it could have been a few better. I played exceptionally well from tee to green overall, but did not make my share of putts until the last 27 holes.
“I have been on the good side of the draw too, and hopefully I will be again at some point. That is just the way it is.”
Frustrated yet satisfied with his form, Scott could not fail to be impressed with McIlroy’s performance, despite the draw.
“When Rory gets in rhythm he is phenomenal,” says Scott. “He does not have weaknesses and in fact, he has more strengths to his game than almost everyone else. When he is in rhythm, you see him shoot low numbers all the time.”
Scott will now take a week off before playing in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship at Valhalla in successive weeks.
Robin Barwick travelled to the Open Championship courtesy of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz is global sponsor of the Masters, patron of the Open Championship and official car of the PGA Championship
In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.
A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.