Adam Scott on winning a major, players with potential and his favourite luxury timepieces

Australian golfer, and now Swiss resident, Adam Scott turned professional midway through the 2000 season. The former world number 1 ranked player, has won 11 DP World Tour and 14 PGA Tour events. The highlight, of course, was winning the Masters in 2013 when Bubba Watson presented him with the coveted green jacket.

Having played around the world over all these years, there was however a noticeable absence from Dubai. The last time he competed at the Dubai Desert Classic was back in 2002. Earlier this year in January though, he returned to the recently renamed Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic. “Coming back to the Middle East has been really exciting. I enjoyed the first Rolex Series event of the year in Abu Dhabi at Yas Links, and although I’m not so familiar with the course here at the Emirates, I remember certain holes and the shot shapes required. They’ve put some new tee boxes in, and have some new greens. It does feel familiar to me, although the skyline is very different. I played at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in 2009, but the famous shot from the eighth tee here looks very different,” says Scott when we meet on the eve of the Desert Classic.

Like most professional athletes, Scott has had his fair share of professional peaks and rough patches. Unlike other athletes though, he’s frank about the latter. “I was very frustrated in St Georges at The Open, especially since my main goal now is to win major championships. Last year felt like a bit of a wasted year for me and I didn’t really threaten in 2020 either,” he admits. “My driver wasn’t behaving for me last year. Once I began to make changes, the foundation of my game began to improve.”

After over two decades playing at the top, Scott is at a point where he is finding a balance between golf, and a life away from it. He says that there are nine months of the year where he prioritises the sport, but then gives himself some time away from the game for the remaining three months. That isn’t to say that he has any less of a packed calendar of events in which he will participate this year. He confirms the plan is to compete in all five Rolex Series in 2022, having already done so at Abu Dhabi and Dubai earlier this year. Next, he will be at the Genesis Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth too.

Devoting nearly his entire life to the sport, but also spending a few months away from it each year, has meant that Scott doesn’t have a myopic and insulated view of the sport which has richly rewarded him. He’s able to be objective of its drawbacks too – particularly those that are at a disadvantage to individuals trying to break into the sport. “I think it would be great to have some different rules for amateurs and professionals, but it is a big conversation. We can’t go backwards as golf already has a reputation for being quite elitist, but there are lots of little areas within the game that could be explored to benefit everyone. For example, I think golf’s decision-makers should shrink the driver head size. The longer clubs were traditionally always the hardest to hit, but this has totally flipped on its head now and I think that somewhat goes against the evolution of golf,” says Scott.

Away from the course, he’s passionate about watches, and specifically vintage timepieces. He’s been a Rolex Testimonee since 2001 and has amassed a sizeable collection of timepieces during that period. “It is hard to resist buying these watches, but I have about twenty or so,” he says of his Rolex collection. “When I first became a Testimonee, I got the opportunity to choose a timepiece. I was 21 years old, and I chose a pink gold Day-Date with a black dial. I still wear that.”

“I was given a Rolex Sky-Dweller the year I won the Masters which is extremely special to me. I think it’s quite an interesting watch because it is probably the most complex with all of its various mechanisms. I like that watch, but I tend to wear smaller watches like the Rolex Day-Date,” he adds.

There are times when his passion for collecting watches – he’s built a reputation of keeping a close eye on auctions globally – has intersected with golf itself. He notes the example of the Day-Date he showed up with for the interview. “The watch I am wearing now was bought at an auction and I was on the 11th hole during a practice round of the Memorial Championship. An alert went off on my phone as we began to walk down the fairway, I ended up winning the bid for the watch having eyed it for quite some time.”

Scott turned pro at the age of 20, and has spent more years than that as a professional golfer. It’s worth a listen then to know who from the younger crop of players in his opinion currently shows potential to rise to the top of their game. Scott’s choice is an interesting one. “I played with this young kid Nicolai Højgaard and I feel like he is a 20-year-old version of Dustin Johnson. Although it’s very tricky to piece everything together at such a young age, he is going to be a force in world golf if he does. He hits the ball very hard, but in an easy way, and is certainly one to keep an eye on.”

Scott will undoubtedly be keen to win his second major, though he reiterates that this year his big focus will be the 150th edition of The Open at St Andrews. “You never know how many more chances you’re going to get so I am really looking forward to that one,” he says. Off the course, he’s also got his horological priorities well in order. “If I could pick one watch right now that I haven’t had, it would be an early Rolex Submariner reference 6538. It is called a Big Crown and it was worn by James Bond in one of the movies.” If you’re up against an anonymous potential buyer at an auction who is bidding strong on the 6538, it won’t be difficult to guess his identity.