Scott convinced his best golf still ahead of him

Scott convinced his best golf still ahead of him

PGA.COM August 6, 2013







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Adam Scott believes he's got "as good a chance as anyone" to win the PGA Championship.(Katt Griggs/The …


By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Over the last three years, Adam Scott has racked up six top-10 finishes in 11 major championship starts, highlighted - of course - by that very special victory at the Masters in April, the first for an Australian-born player.

Just before the start of the 95th PGA Championship here at Oak Hill Country Club, Scott stated that he firmly believes his best golf is in front of him. And, based on his recent results, it would seem foolish not to believe him.

"It has to be the best golf of my career, really," said Scott, who also finished in a tie for third at the Open Championship a few weeks back. "If it's not, then I won't achieve anything that I want. You know, I kind of figured that out over the last couple years as I made changes and saw improvement. There was a clear path for me going forward, and then it's quite easy to see what you have to do when your plan starts working out. I don't think about 8-10 years, because that's too long to plan. I think about probably just a week at a time."

Taking it a week at a time puts the focus solely on this week at Oak Hill. Scott would love nothing more than to end the 2013 major season with bookend victories, which would make the Aussie the first player with multiple major wins in a single season since Padraig Harrington turned the trick in 2008 at the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

A win here would also count as a small measure of redemption. After bouncing back at the Masters from that difficult finish - bogeys on each of his final four holes - in the Open Championship that looked to be his to win in 2012, Scott enters this PGA Championship after another crushing Open defeat.

This time around at Muirfield might not have seemed as gut wrenching for those on the outside looking in. But, for Scott it was actually more devastating than in 2012. Again, he bogeyed every hole in a four-hole span on the back nine, but unlike 2012, it wasn't the last four. Still, it cost him the Claret Jug.

"I think I was probably more disappointed at The Open this year than last," Scott admitted. "I worked really hard to get myself in a position with nine holes to go, because I got off to a slow start on Sunday, and I felt that I had a bit of momentum going my way, and to kind of in the space of about 45 minutes - to go from leading to not even having a chance on the 16th tee was more disappointing, probably more so than at Lytham."

As was the case at Lytham, Scott says this one at Muirfield is also behind him and he's looking full steam ahead to Oak Hill.


When the PGA Championship was played at Oak Hill in 2003, Scott finished in a tie for 23rd. Not too shabby, but he was a different player then - not the player he's become, the one who regularly contends in majors.

"Ten years is a long time and I've played a lot of golf and I feel like a completely different golfer," Scott said. "I had forgotten that I was even in the mix, but I think it was one of the first majors where I kind of went into the weekend thinking, 'Oh, if I have a good weekend, I could actually win this.' And I probably battled around on the weekend to finish 23rd. But experience counts for a lot, obviously.

"So many things are different between now and 10 years ago, that you just evolve as a golfer and mature, hopefully, as a golfer and get better and that's what I've always tried to do and all of those things have added up to me being in the last few years a much more consistent performer than 10 years ago."

Scott is typically known as one of the better drivers of the golf ball, an asset that will come in handy at the tight, tree-lined Oak Hill, which is sporting a healthy graduated rough that gets more and more brutal the further the player strays offline.

Since he's always seemingly well positioned off the tee, it's no surprise that Scott is also among the best on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation.

"There's not really much to dislike that I've seen so far [of Oak Hill]," Scott said. "It's presented beautifully. It looks like as far as my game goes, that you've got to drive it in the fairway. It's not necessarily a lot of drivers, but still, the demand is there off the tee for a chance to score. The rough looks pretty long, and I just don't know with these kind of small, circular greens whether you're going to get good opportunities to hit it on the green out of the rough too often."

Now that Scott has major victory No. 1 in his pocket, he's looking forward to the chance to add more.

"I thought I was playing good before I won the Masters, and really over the last couple years, I built a mindset that I was good enough to be a major champion, and it didn't really matter that I wasn't," he said. "That wasn't affecting the way I played. You've got to fool yourself a little bit sometimes. So winning, obviously, was extremely satisfying and confirmed that I can do it. But you know, I've just wanted to keep my game going in the same direction in those same things, so it obviously helps.

"It's gotten better and I've backed it up with some decent play and a good performance in The Open, which is important, because you don't want to win the Masters and expectations go through the roof and you play poorly," he explained. "You've got to keep pushing, and I've been really conscious to do that this year so that I can get myself here this week feeling like I'm as good a chance to win as anyone, and can keep the momentum that I've built the last couple years going."

Woods pleased with his game, feels optimistic

Woods pleased with his game, feels optimistic

PGA.COM August 6, 2013







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Tiger Woods hasn't been able to close out victories in several recent majors, but feels like that could …


By T.J. Auclair, PGA.com Interactive Producer

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Nobody in golf has been more dominant in 2013 than Tiger Woods.

The world's No. 1-ranked player has five wins to his credit this season, including an incredible seven-shot romp in last week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.

"I had a great week last week, I've had a couple nice days of practice," Woods said on Tuesday. "Yesterday was very light. Today I did a little bit more work, and you know, still got one more day to prep and prepare. The golf course is in fantastic shape. It's dry now, it's got some speed to it, and the rough is certainly up, and it's clumpy. It's imperative to hit the ball in the fairways and hit the ball on the greens, because it's going to be tough to get up and down."

Firestone, of course, has been kind to Woods through the years. It's a place where he's won a remarkable eight times.

Naturally, Woods is the favorite here at Oak Hill Country Club this week to pull off something he hasn't done since the summer of 2008 - win a major championship.

Granted, winning a major is by no means easy. Woods just made it look that way as he racked up 14 of them in such a short period of time to pull within four of tying the record mark of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus.

As seemingly easy as it was for Woods to win the first 14, it's almost been equally difficult to snag No. 15. And it's not because he hasn't been in the mix, either. Since that 2008 U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines, Woods has played in 17 majors (missing four over that time due to injury), racking up nine top-10 finishes over that span.


"It's been probably the longest spell that I've had since I hadn't won a major championship," Woods said. "I came out here very early and got my first one back in '97. I've had, certainly, my share of chances to win. I've had my opportunities there on the back nine on those probably half of those Sundays for the last five years where I've had a chance, and just haven't won it. But the key is to keep giving myself chances, and eventually I'll start getting them."

When the PGA Championship was held at Oak Hill a decade ago, Woods called it the toughest and fairest test he'd seen in a major. His tie for 39th that week was also his worst finish in major in his career as a professional to that point.

As was the case in 2003, Oak Hill is going to be a test in target golf. It's tight, the rough is mean and the subtle break in the greens could drive players crazy.

"I think it's a fantastic golf course," Woods said. "It's tough. It's right in front of you. Really, no surprises out there. You just have to play well. This is one of those courses where you've just got to bring it ball striking wise. You've got to hit the ball well.

Woods has done well the last several majors to get in a position to win, but just hasn't been able to close it out. He's optimistic that that could change this week.

"Well, the thing is, just keep building," Woods said. "As I said, I have three days to prepare and continue to work on the things that I'm working on and get a feel for this golf course and how I'm going to play it. I've got two days in so far. Still got one more to go, and like to do a little bit more work tomorrow. Overall, I feel very pleased with where my game is at. I've played well in the last two tournaments I've played in, especially coming off a little bit of an injury at The Open and coming back and really played well in the last two tournaments, I'm very pleased about that."

Regardless of what happens at Oak Hill, it's been a fantastic year for Woods. But, he'd sure like another major - a fifth PGA Championship, which would tie Nicklaus and the late Walter Hagen for most all time.

"I think winning one major championship automatically means you had a great year," he said. "Even if you miss the cut in every tournament you play in; you win one, you're part of history. This year, for me, I think it's been a great year so far for me, winning five times, and you look at the quality of tournaments I've won, a Players and two World Golf Championships in there, that's pretty good."

Mickelson feeling complete after Open triumph

Mickelson feeling complete after Open triumph


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PAUL NEWBERRY (AP National Writer) August 6, 2013AP - Sports








PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson looks at himself differently these days.

Sure, there's a bit of uncertainty in the grogginess of morning, when he wakes up wondering if that claret jug really belongs to him for a whole year.

Then - yep - there it is, his name engraved on the silver chalice.

For Lefty, it's all gravy from this point on.

He feels complete.


''The British Open really changed some of my perception of myself as a player,'' Mickelson said Tuesday after a practice round at Oak Hill for the final major of the year, the PGA Championship. ''Had I won another green jacket, that would not have done the same thing as what winning the claret jug has done.''

Mickelson is a little over two weeks removed from one of the greatest closing rounds in major championship history, a 5-under 66 at rock-hard Muirfield to claim golf's oldest crown.

It was the leg of the career Grand Slam that always figured to elude him. His game was built for the target golf played in America, complete with an array of soaring drives and wondrous wedges.

But, over four days along the Scottish coast, Mickelson showed he could grind it out better than anyone on a tabletop of a course, imagining shots that go against everything he's supposed to be about - then pulling them off.

''In my mind, it is an accomplishment in my career that makes me more of a complete player,'' he said. ''To finally have won that and break through and play some of my best golf ever in my final round, that kind of changes the way I view myself and my game, more so than just a major championship that I had already won.''
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Phil Mickelson hits from the fourth tee during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tourna …

Mickelson has already won the PGA Championship, back in 2005 at Baltusrol.

That's not to say he doesn't want to add a few more majors to a resume that already ensures he'll be remembered as one of the game's greatest players.

He's never been this confident about his chances.

''I'm more motivated than ever to work hard to succeed, because I can taste some of my best golf coming out,'' Mickelson said, his voice and demeanor just oozing confidence. ''I can feel it.''

At 43, he's already a man in full, complete with five major championships.
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Phil Mickelson hits to the fifth green during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournam …

Only 11 golfers have won more.

But don't get him wrong - he's driven to complete a career Grand Slam, merely lacking a victory in the U.S. Open, where he's been the runner-up a record six times.

''I feel as though I started to play my best golf in the last four, five, six months,'' he said. ''I feel like I've keyed in on two areas that I've struggled with for years, which is putting and off the tee. I feel very confident in my ability to get the ball in play off the tee, and I feel very confident in my ability on the greens now.

''I've turned weaknesses into strengths,'' he went on, ''and this serves me well in major championships. I feel like now the major championships are possibly the easiest ones for me to be in contention and maybe even win.''

At home in California, Mickelson had a practice facility built right in his yard, allowing him to work on shots when there's nothing on the line, no fans shouting his name.
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Phil Mickelson hits from the ninth tee during a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournam …

''I enjoy walking out after dinner and hitting some putts and hitting some chips and hitting some balls,'' he said. ''I find it very calming and very serene being out there doing what I've always loved to do.''

He's still fending off the next generation, giving players who aren't even half his age a lesson in how this profession is supposed to work - on and off the course. If it means spending a good half-hour or more signing autographs after a practice round, as Mickelson did Tuesday for the throngs clamoring for a piece of him on a warm, sunny day at Oak Hill - well, that's part of the game, too.

''He's a guy that I've always looked up to, been a fan of,'' said 20-year-old Jordan Spieth. ''I don't know anybody who is not a fan of Phil.''

Well, maybe one.

When Tiger Woods was asked about their personal relationship, he danced around the question as much as possible before finally closing with a terse ''it's been a lot of fun.'' Mickelson was more gracious, conceding his record doesn't come close to matching Woods and those 14 major titles, marveling at his rival's remarkable consistency over a professional career that's approaching two decades.
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Phil Mickelson signs autographs after a practice round for the PGA Championship golf tournament at O …

''He's a great motivator for me. He's helped me work hard,'' Mickelson said. ''He's helped me put forth the effort to try to compete at the highest level year in and year out, and I've loved competing against him. He's really brought the best out of me, especially when we've been paired together, and I hope that we are able to play together for many more years.''

They're certainly not going anywhere at the moment.

While Woods is mired in the longest major drought of his career, he's won five times this year on the PGA Tour, is ranked No. 1 in the world, and is coming off a seven-shot victory at the Bridgestone. Mickelson is right behind him in the rankings, two exquisite players who have been the face of American golf for so long.

''I'm as motivated as ever to compete and to play and get the best golf out of me, to hopefully play against Tiger when he's playing his best,'' Lefty said. ''That would ultimately be the goal - I play as well as I can at the same time he's doing the same.

''I would love that opportunity.''
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Phil Mickelson, right, greets Shaun Micheel between press conferences at the PGA Championship golf t …

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