Aussies already targeting next major step in sealing legacy
By Mark Tallentire
The four-month swing for elite honours is over for another year but the three previous major winners in Australia’s current crop of players are already focused on landing the next of them in a bid to seal their spots in history.
Greg Norman and David Graham were the last Australians to land two major titles, and Adam Scott has been looking to join them since he won the 2013 US Masters. He contested his 23rd straight British Open at Royal Liverpool over the weekend, which was won by American Brian Harman. Scott’s best at the Open was a second in 2012, when he was on course for his first major until bogeys at the last four holes handed the Claret Jug to Ernie Els.
The following year at Muirfield, he hit the front on Sunday’s back nine only to finish third after being overhauled by an inspired Phil Mickelson.
Scott, 43, still believes he can get his hands on another major or two, the Open specifically.
“It’s kind of the reason I still work hard at my game, thinking I could have a chance to get that other hand on the Jug that I was so close to getting,” he said. “That’s what I’ll be working at over the next 12 months, to come back and have another crack and be in good form and maybe steal a trophy later on in my career.
“The majors are at the top of that list. I really feel like if you get in kind of a rich vein of form for a four-month stretch, you could bag a couple. We’ve seen lots of guys do it in the past few years. I think that’s still motivating me to stay fit and healthy and keep playing well.”
Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee at the British Open.Credit: Getty, AP
He said that although it is hard to stay at the top level, on any given week he feels he can compete with the best.
“I’m hoping for it to show up at the four big ones,” he said. “It’s worth having a look at how you’re scheduling and how you’re preparing and what your priorities are as far as the golf goes. I’ll do that as I make a plan for next year’s major season.”
Jason Day’s tied-second at Royal Liverpool on Sunday was his best finish in the Open. He won the 2015 US PGA Championship, one of five tournaments he landed in the year he became world No.1, and looked primed to land a handful of top honours until a mixture of injury and poor form stalled his progress. The next generation of Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa have since caught up with Day, 35, and gone past him.
“Majors are the ones you want to win,” he said. “Obviously, you want to win every week, but everyone looks at the majors. You always count how many majors you can win, and obviously people ask – they say how many tournaments you’ve got, but they always look at how many major championships you’ve got as well.
“I hadn’t played that great in the majors this year, so it was nice to be able to finish this off and finish tied-second. At some point, I’m going to get off one and get my second one.”
Cameron Smith, 30, has more time on his side but although he achieved a career-defining breakthrough at St Andrews last year, a ninth at the US PGA and fourth in the US Open were his best finishes this time, with a tied-34th at the US Masters. It was respectable enough but not what he wants, and he is already looking forward to the Open at Royal Troon in 2024.
Min Woo Lee, 24, is at the start of his career. He has progressed well since winning the Scottish Open in 2021 and was delighted with his breakthrough, fifth-place finish at the US Open last month, but fell away at the Open after getting into contention and realises there is work to be done.
“I’m a bit disappointed that it finished like this, but top five at a major, my best finish in a long time, I’m really happy with that,” said Lee, who aims to earn his US Tour card for next season and whenever he does plans to move to golfing country near Las Vegas. “I’m pretty proud of the way I went for the last six, 12 months.” Bring on the US Masters in April.
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