MONTREAL – Adam Scott gazed at a painfully acquainted leaderboard perched simply left of the 12th inexperienced as a couple of dozen followers lingered stoically. The U.S. Presidents Cup crew was 10 minutes away from clinching its 13th victory within the occasion and there was nothing the Australian might do about it.
The Royal Montreal version was Scott’s 11th begin within the biennial blowout that has, save for a single second in a earlier century, gone solely the People manner, and it was not possible to not learn the physique language of a participant who’s 0-10-1 on the worldwide stage.
It wasn’t at all times this fashion. When Scott started his profession within the matches, he was the fresh-faced up-and-comer — The Gamers champion — decided to problem the USA’ dominance within the sport.
In his first begin on the matches in 2003, Scott went 3-2 for a crew that performed the U.S. facet, and Tiger Woods, to a attract South Africa. Two years later at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership in Virginia, he once more produced, going 3-1-1, regardless of an Worldwide loss.
Every part since has been a disappointment.
Following one other fruitless week for the Remainder of the World, Scott is now 22-28-6. Misplaced on that scale is his victory alongside Taylor Pendrith on Day 2 that set the crew document for factors gained and helped sq. this version at 5-5, however finally did little to alter an end result that’s grow to be far too acquainted.
Scott hasn’t had a successful document since his first two Presidents Cups and he was 2-3 at Royal Montreal because the U.S. crew rolled to an 18 ½ to 11 ½ victory. But even in defeat — simply as he has been for greater than twenty years — he held tight to the notion that victory is within reach for the Worldwide crew.
“I had an excellent feeling for this crew coming in. I felt like there’s been an evolution underneath this defend the final two cups, 4 or 5 years of that, and buy-in from all of the worldwide gamers,” he mentioned following his Sunday singles loss to Collin Morikawa. “It’s one thing that they aspire to play for. However , the end result sadly is identical.”
Greater than some other participant, Scott has been the face of the Presidents Cup, for typically higher and most of the time worse.
Morikawa was his 11th totally different singles opponent and he’s had 19 totally different companions in crew play with little to point out for his efforts. Whereas his loss Sunday dropped him to 5-6 within the particular person format, it’s his crew play that’s so baffling.
From Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to Pendrith and Hideki Matsuyama, he’s performed alongside the Remainder of World’s finest with stunningly poor outcomes and but he stands because the delight, and maybe the ache, of the Worldwide crew.
When requested Sunday if he was pushed to earn a spot on the 2026 squad that may tackle the People, it was Tom Kim, who’s half Scott’s age, who spoke for the crew.
“Let’s make it three extra. Three extra,” Kim declared.
That’s the factor about legacies: they’re not at all times crammed with accomplishments and accolades. For the whole lot that Scott has earned in his profession, from successful a serious championship to greater than twenty years on the PGA Tour and 14 Tour titles, the Presidents Cup has at all times pushed, and baffled, him.
