In May of 2014, Adam Scott rose to the No. 1 ranking in the world.
He had won the 2013 Masters and was a star on the rise.
He won the 2014 Colonial and make that “1” a bit stronger. He stayed there for 11 weeks.
Adam Scott has not won a golf tournament since.
He comes to the Sony Open this week ranked 11th. He’s tumbled, he’s searching but he’s still the highest-ranked golfer who will play at Waialae when the action starts on Thursday.
His long putter is history, legislated into the garage by the USGA and the Royal and Ancient.
For the 35-year-old Aussie, it’s do or die with the short stick.
He’s young by golf standards but comes into this season as a man who badly needs a comeback.
His swing looks flawless. It is pretty much a carbon copy of the won that won double-digit majors for Tiger Woods. But for Scott, it has bagged just one.
He won that Masters title with a long putter. Now he will have to try to win without it.
Early indications are encouraging for Scott. He finished fifth at the Aussie Masters in late 2015 and a week later tied for second with Jordan Spieth at the Aussie Open.
That’s got to be a confidence builder for the former world’s No. 1.
This week Scott will get a taste of the new young crop of talent on the PGA Tour. His putting will be put to the test on those grainy greens.
With 11 PGA Tour wins under his belt he is second only to Zach Johnson as far as players in this field with the most wins.
Will this be a comeback year for Scott.
Only time and the short putter can tell.
