Young Aussie leads the Players Championship by one while Woods is in danger of missing the cut.
By BOB HARIG
Published March 26, 2004
PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Adam Scott is not nearly as gregarious as countryman Aaron Baddeley and certainly not as garish with his choice of attire. But this Aussie quietly gets it done.
After tying for third on Sunday at the Bay Hill Invitational, there he was on the leaderboard again Thursday, shooting 7-under 65 at the TPC-Sawgrass Stadium Course for the first-round lead in the $8-million Players Championship.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, struggled for the fourth consecutive round, and his cut streak of 119 was in jeopardy after 75.
Scott, 23, does not get the attention of Baddeley, who had more amateur success, or other young players such as Sergio Garcia and Charles Howell. But he has steadily climbed into the picture, winning last year's Deutsche Bank Championship on the PGA Tour. He also has three victories on the European PGA Tour, where he also plays.
And it is not a stretch to say he could be the successor to Greg Norman as Australia's best player.
"I've kind of got a plan where I want to go, and obviously I want to get there as fast as I can," Scott said. "But I'm a pretty patient person. I'm seeing my game improve. As long as that keeps happening, I keep moving up, you're going to win some good events and become a great player."
Scott played in the morning, when the Stadium Course was vulnerable. He led Duffy Waldorf and Kevin Sutherland by one shot. Thomas Bjorn, K.J. Choi and Bob Burns were another stroke back. Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Brandt Jobe, Padraig Harrington and Scott Verplank shot 68. In all, 46 players were under par.
Woods was not one of them. More than a few observers have remarked that Scott's swing looks eerily similar to that of Woods. And it is no coincidence the two have been schooled by noted swing guru Butch Harmon.
But the similarities ended there Thursday. While Scott was making eight birdies and just one bogey, Woods hit just six fairways and eight greens. It was Woods' fourth straight round over par and fifth straight in which he had to take a penalty stroke. One came when he flew his 9-iron approach over the green at the par-3 17th.
"I didn't feel like I hit the ball that poorly, that's the funny thing," said Woods, who was tied for 108th (the top 70 and ties make the cut) and has not missed a cut since he withdrew from the 1998 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. "I'm hitting quality golf shots. I'm just not converting putts, or when I hit a poor shot, I can't convert it for par. I'd just like to not make bogeys."
Among those who have suggested Woods give Harmon a call is NBC-TV golf analyst Johnny Miller, who believes Woods could use the guidance. Harmon started working with Woods when the player was just 16, but no reunion is imminent.
"I still talk to him when he's out here, (but) as far as asking for help on my golf swing, no," Woods said. "Butch will always be my friend. ... He took me under his wing, showed me life on tour."
Apparently he has done the same for Scott, who spent four days working with Harmon before the Match Play Championship last month. Scott, who finished second to Ernie Els at the Heineken Classic in Australia, has three top 10s in four PGA Tour events this year and is 18th in the world rankings.
"I've worked on my game a lot," Scott said. "My swing is better than it's ever been. I think I'm getting it in really good position, and it feels really natural. So that takes a lot of pressure off your game when you know you're going to get up there and hit it down the fairway and hit most of the greens. I've been pretty solid in greens this year, and it just lets you play a little more freely."
