Australia’s Adam Scott believes he can follow his breakthrough US Masters victory by becoming a dominant player at Augusta National like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Speaking ahead of his defence of the Australian Masters title at Royal Melbourne, world No.2 Scott said winning the event at Kingston Heath last year had been an important step in his rise to major champion in Augusta in April.
Having also won the Australian PGA last week to go with his 2009 Australian Open title, Scott said he felt he had little left to prove in Australia, although winning at Royal Melbourne – consistently rated among the world’s greatest courses – would be special.
“People say you haven’t achieved everything in golf unless you’ve won the Open at St Andrew’s,” Scott told reporters at Royal Melbourne on Wednesday.
“But for an Australian I think to win a tournament at Royal Melbourne is the same kind of thing and I’d love to do that.”
But he also has much bigger goals in mind, starting with adding a second US Masters title at Augusta National, after this year becoming the first Australian to don the green jacket.
“I’ve really felt the last few years my level of understanding of that golf course grew and then obviously culminated in winning this year,” Scott said.
“I’m really looking forward to going back and I feel I have an opportunity to develop even more there and become a dominant player like a Phil Mickelson or a Tiger Woods there.”
Woods has won the Masters four times, most recently in 2005, and Mickelson has won it three times.
“I have the opportunity, I’m not saying I’m going to,” Scott said.
“But I’ve got a bit of momentum going so I’m really looking forward to that.
“I really can’t think past that one.”
Scott said holding out Englishman Ian Poulter to win last year’s Australian Masters had been an important confidence-builder, particularly after giving up a four-shot lead with four holes to in that year’s British Open, at which stage he was yet to win a major.
“It was big for the confidence and absolutely played a part in any success since then,” he said of claiming the gold jacket.
