December 6, 2009–Las Vegas golfer Adam Scott played college golf at powerhouse UNLV, and then worked with Las Vegas resident Butch Harmon for many years. And over this weekend, Scott won his first pro event in his native Australia, and then collected the trophy from his idol Greg Norman. Click to see the photo.
Scott, who some folks view as too laid back for his own good, fired a 15-under total to win the Australian Open, and was in awe to accept the trophy from Norman, his idol. "Greg and I have a fairly close relationship and, you know, obviously he is a big supporter of mine and I wish I could have played this well for him at the President's Cup," Scott told the media in Australia following the win. "We just got beat by a better team that week but he is my hero. I have said that all along and he has been so generous to me with so many things and countless bits of advice on the game and just like a lot of other people, this year showing me that he still believes in me and my game and he can see inside that I want it badly, which I can see some people may not see, but he knows me well and he can see that I want it badly."
Scott had a very bad year in 2009, and also took a break from working with Harmon, but now might be putting back the pieces of this golf game that fell apart due to injuries, etc. Scott was excited to be heading back towards the top 50 of the World Rankings, a status that should get him into the 2010 Masters. "Hopefully I get back inside the top 50 and that's all taken care of by the end of the year," Scott said. "I mean, I am trying to build my game back to be a better player than I was before. I think it is going to take some time. There are obviously still things I can work on, areas where I feel I can get better but, like I said, this year has given me a new outlook on some things, which was tough to accept at the time but I think I'm putting them into practice and, like I said, hope actually I can use some of the preparation that I have done here for these weeks leading into some big events next year and peak my game like I haven't peaked in the past."
Scott is one of several alumni from UNLV who play on the PGA Tour, and at one time in 2008 had risen to #3 in the world, but then began a long freefall, and isn't afraid to admit at the depths his game found earlier this year. "It was a pretty disastrous year really,"said Scott. "But I thought I was fairly honest with my assessment of things at times throughout the year and I told people I was working hard, and I have worked bloody hard and I have put my head down and tried to play the best I can on my home soil and usually I just let my clubs do the talking, so if there are still doubters out there that's okay I will see what else I can do."
Scott and his fellow UNLV alumni are just some of the more than 30 golfers with strong ties to Las Vegas golf courses who play on the major golf tours. And many of those Las Vegas golfers still live in Las Vegas–Scott doesn't–and play and practice on Las Vegas golf courses. In addition to the pros, Las Vegas is the home to more than 60 golf courses including two fun layouts in Boulder City, a border town to Las Vegas which is located about 35 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. Boulder Creek Golf Club and Boulder City Golf Course are fun layouts with great Las Vegas golf rates. Click now to the official website for information or to reserve your Las Vegas golf tee times at these Las Vegas golf courses.
For Scott, winning the Australian Open was almost as good as winning a major. "It is right up there after a major," said Scott, who has yet to win a major. "An Aussie Open for an Australian, that's what you want on the shelf, for a lot of reasons but, you know, this is something that I won't treat lightly and, like I said, I'm really proud and honored to be on this trophy."