Adam Scott is hoping to get off to a flying start on the tricky Metropolitan golf course in Melbourne as he bids to win a record third successive Australian Masters title.

The 2013 US Masters champion is the raging favourite to become the first player to win three straight but Scott said the course could prove a challenge.

He will tee off in the opening round on Thursday at 7.45am in a group with former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and 16-year-old Australian prodigy Ryan Ruffels.

“It’s in fantastic nick and I’ve been trying to learn the greens a little bit,” Scott said.

“Like most sand-belt courses, I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge for us this week if it dries out, which I’m sure it is.”

Scott won’t have the knowledge of veteran caddy Kiwi Steve Williams to call on after parting ways in September.

Williams, who helped Scott win Australia’s first green jacket, only wanted to work part-time which didn’t suit the world No.2.

US-based Englishman David Clark, who caddied for Scott two weeks ago in Shanghai, is on his bag.

Scott intends trialling several caddies over the summer, including at next week’s Australian Open in Sydney where he will go head to head with world No.1 Rory McIlroy, before deciding on a permanent replacement.

Scott said that Williams, who formerly caddied for Greg Norman and Tiger Woods, was irreplaceable.

“I can’t go out and try and find another Steve Williams but I think I got to learn so much from him and having him down here for a few years on the sandbelt, and obviously being able to pick his brain and also see how he went about it,” he said.

“I’ve learned how to manage myself around these courses and that’s shown in the results the last couple years with us winning at Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne.

“That’s pretty special for an Aussie golfer. It would be nice to put this one on that list, too.”