Adam Scott has been tiptoeing on the edge of golf by spotlight. But that light can be engaged in dim, if the very thing that explosive will him to the top of the sport.After 13 years, streaky Scott solved his putting woes by switching to the anchored putter. Gulf of governing bodies, however, are adamant: embedding the club will officially prohibited in create a putting line, effective Jan 1, 2016.
"Rule 14-1b protects one of the major challenges in the game — the free swing of the entire club," said Glen Nager, Chairman of the USGA. "Anchoring is different: intentionally secure one end of the club against the body, and creating a physical attachment point around which the club is swung, is a significant deviation from that traditional free swing."
You can cook to golf the arbitrators the anchored feud, "belly" putter wanders far from the tradition of the sport. And in the Gulf, tradition trumps all.
Scott's future is suddenly filled with questions: from the best year of his career — four worldwide WINS, including a breakthrough Masters victory, and a pair of top-five finishes in the majors — he must face the facts now by investing in its future and that meet the 2016 standards meet? Or plays elite golf reason enough to drive this momentum and cross that bridge when he anchored putter getting there?
Switching back to the conventional putter not free to bring back the best memories for Scott.
With the traditional short putter, Scott ranked outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour in six of the last eight seasons. He ranked as high as 186th in 2010, not to mention put in 177th overall. It kept him from warring when it mattered, especially in the majors, where he a single top-10 Finish between 2007 and 2010 do not deserve.
Fortunately for Scott was so accurate that the rest of his game he is still a way to win tournaments without stellar found. Just not the big tournaments — the championships a golfer's name in the record books.
So far.
Today, with his trusty anchored putter, he has put more than 80 places in those crucial statistic jumped to 102nd and 62nd in total put on Tour. About user flowed his game this year; He made 16 consecutive cuts, earned six top-10 finishes and, perhaps most impressive, he refined his game to peak on Gulf of highest-pressure stages: victory in the Masters, T3 and T5 on the British Open on the PGA Championship.
The anchored putter now giving up feels a bit like taking the bat out of the hands of Hank Aaron. He will be powerless.
That is, unless he adjusts to the future — and fast.Scott is now called, and you should have a hot streak drive because you don't know when it will end, let alone how gloomy the cold will be when it is inevitable in set. The adjustment back to a shorter putter, or even to the Matt Kuchar version of the long putter that against the forearm rest, takes a day or perhaps take a year.
Scott is 33, in his prime and will no doubt be confiscation two to three serious chances of another great Championship as he switches before the ban takes effect in 2016.
"If it Ain't broke, don't fix it" feels like sound advice with Scott roll the ball so smoothly now.
On the other hand, Scott 35 when the ban takes place, which is still the tail-end for a golfer's prime. Switching putters now could offer him ample time to adjust and, above all, allow him five to seven more productive seasons to win the majors.
Putting is the most important part of competitive golf. Ask a pro — you score not good if you are not good putt. It is where Championships are won, and more often where they are lost. Just ask Scott, who wasted a four-stroke lead in his last four holes on Sunday at the British Open two years ago.
The stars are aligned for Scott now, in many ways because he shook things up in his golf game back in 2011. First he let golf instructor Butch Harmon for Brad Malone, who convinced Scott to experiment with the long, anchored putter. Scott then teamed up with Tiger Woods old caddie, Stevie Williams, who undeniably one of the most successful caddies in the history of the sport with 14 majors to his name.
Combine those changes with Scott's natural athleticism and maturity and he quickly has emerged as the legitimate — albeit a bit late — Challenger Tiger Woods throne.
The decision may 25 months away, but how can Scott not be considering his options with every putt he sinks?
The irony is crippling.
Scott is on the radar golf since Tiger Woods was lapping large fields back in 2000. Word spread of the young, sweet-swinging Aussie who had the game and common sense to rival, if not take over, Woods.
He had Hogan's fundamentals, Trevino the ball striking and Nicklaus brute force. Scott even had the dashing looks of a Prince from Kangaroo country willing to the golf world by storm.
Scott is finally got his Groove on the greens, only to replace the exact club that blazed the trail for are re-emerging.
According to ESPN's Bob-haired Scott said that he would try to use a long putter without anchoring, but not without expressing some frustration with justified wave of higher powers.
Now we're making rules for the improvement of the game based on zero evidence? Incredible. What they [USGA and R & A] think if they be allowed to? You are dealing with professional athletes who are competitive, which would better ways to find ...What they think if they've supertalented golfers putting in thousands of hours of practice with a long putter, short putter, sand wedge, what? It was just a matter of time. They are going to be good.
Scott is in a similar bind as his colleagues Ernie Els, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley. They have to become accustomed to the anchored technique and as Scott a large Championship largely because of their detained.
But unlike those players, Scott has played with a consistency and dominance in the past year, which has vaulted him to the World No. 2 ranking. Golf experts are granting him the unofficial "global player of the year." He has become a threat every time he tees it up.
Gulf of spotlight is reserved for those who get it done on the greens. Scott has earned his place ... for now.