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Grouchy Golf Blog

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 9:42 PM

Adam Scott: Tiger's Top Challenger?

Butch Harmon believes that one of his current pupils is best poised to take down his former star student, Tiger Woods. Who would that be, you ask? Phil Mickelson would have been a good guess. However, it's not the Joker, but the White Tiger, Adam Scott. According to ESPN, Harmon said, "He (Scott) is the only one who can challenge Tiger Woods in the next four or five years. He's the only one I see of the young players with all the things it takes to get close to Tiger Woods."

That's a pretty bold statement. IMHO, Scott just doesn't possess the short game or putting skills to put him anywhere close to Tiger. On top of that, he hasn't exhibited that "I'm gonna rip your throat out" killer instinct that is a prerequisite for all great athletes. Tiger simply owns the best mental game in golf and no one will be able to beat him on a consistent basis as long as his body holds up.

However, the current #5 player in the world does many things that rival and may even exceed that of the world's #1. In particular, Adam Scott's full swing is a thing of beauty. In fact, it's almost an exact copy of Tiger's swing, circa 2000. I think it's one of the best golf swings of all-time and I was sorry to see Tiger abandon it due to stress on his left knee. But it's really amazing to see how well Adam has copied Tiger's old swing. A while ago, I posted a . It is one of my personal favorites and remains one of the most viewed videos on this site. Recently, I've uncovered another swing comparison video for your viewing pleasure:



It is quite apparent that Adam has copied Tiger's swing to the "tee". However, it is Tiger Wood's innate ability, intangibles and insane work ethic that will keep him well ahead of the pack over the foreseeable future. Does anyone really think otherwise?

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Blogger Acemakr said...

I'll believe it when I see it. Many have had the chance to challenge and all have faltered. I'm afraid that if anyone steps up, we'll see Tiger re-double his efforts. And that's scary.  

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

Still comes down to putting. AScott struggles with the flat stick, even though he uses the same model putter (Cameron) as TW.

Also, it's really between the ears that helps with putting and winning. AScott lacks mental fortitude to be a major championship winner.

What we shou'd really be discussing on the day after Tiger's WGC Match Play victory is what happened in the offseason. Intense focus on short game with Hank. Translated into deft chipping and clutch putting at the Match Play. Discernable difference to true Tiger fans.

Also, how about 100 to 1 odds for TW to win the Grand Slam? Not enough for me, I'd take the field.  

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Anonymous Andy Brown said...

At least we have to luxury of being able to discuss the possibility of Adam Scott posing a threat to Tiger because someone else said it and not the player himself. So unlike the claims made by the Jason Days of this world and the misquotations there seems to be more credence to this one than the other stories.

I think looking at the recent performances by Tiger Woods it is safe to say that it would be near impossible to catch up with Tiger. Something that can simply gauged from the fact that the last ranked golfer on the golf ranking charts is closer to Phil Mickelson than the number 2 ranked golfer that is Phil is to Tiger.

I think we should take the Adam Scott discussion in the direction to figure out whether he could possibly improve to being the best amongst the rest which is a huge achievement in itself. He is already has had a career high ranking of 3 in the ranking charts. This week again all eyes will be on him as he headlines the field at the Johnnie Walker Classic in New Delhi and with the Qatar Masters under his belt it will be interesting to see how it goes for him this season.  

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Blogger Tony at TheGolfSpace.com said...

Tiger's clear advantage is his WILL and desire to win. There are plenty of players who drive the ball better, putt better, hit better irons etc.. But nobody has the will and the mental power to produce right right shot at the right time like TW.  

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