Adam Scott’s shattering late British Open collapse will serve as a catalyst for future success, says Greg Norman.

Squandering a four-shot lead with bogeys on the last four holes at Royal Lytham and St Annes earlier in July, Scott’s runner-up performance was immediately compared to Norman’s famous failure to turn a six-shot overnight lead into victory at the 1996 Masters.

Former world No.1 Norman was Scott’s childhood idol and Norman has spoken with him since the British Open and offered his advice on how to handle it.

He defended Scott on Tuesday, saying such collapses were commonplace in golf and it was only the enormity of the occasion that made his stand out.

“There is not a player on this planet who hasn’t done that,” 57-year-old Norman said in London.

“… when you put yourself up there in that upper echelon, you’re going to get those things happening to you. Embrace them. Embrace the adversity of life and learn about how you can improve on them in any way you can.”

And what was his other advice to Scott.

“I said to him ‘you played 68 great holes. You played 50 per cent of your shots on the last four holes … fantastic. You have to walk away thinking about how well and how easily you beat the field in 68 holes’,” Norman said.

“He can’t walk away from it with a negative fashion, in a negative inflection being drilled into his brain.

“Even though he didn’t win, I think this is going to be the catalyst for him to go on to bigger and better things.”

Scott has spoken of his desire to turn it around as soon as the US PGA Championship starting on August 9.

“Adam will bounce back. He’s a phenomenal player, he’s shown that,” said Norman.