For three days at Oakmont Country Club, Adam Scott looked poised to make history. With 54 holes behind him, the Australian veteran stood just one stroke back from the lead at the U.S. Open.
At 44 years old, he was within reach of a remarkable second major title, one that would have set a new record for the longest gap between major victories. Earlier in the year, Rory McIlroy had broken an 11-year drought at Augusta, and Scott had a chance to top that.
As the final round began, Mother Nature stepped in with a cruel twist. Torrential rain soaked the Pennsylvania layout, altering the pace and playability of one of golf’s toughest tests. The soggy conditions disrupted Scott‘s momentum entirely.
His swing rhythm faltered, and what had been a controlled and composed tournament suddenly turned into a final-round nightmare.
Scott carded a staggering 9-over 79 on Sunday, dropping well out of contention and finishing tied for 12th. A tournament that had once held so much promise slipped away in the wet chaos of Oakmont.
Reigniting comparisons with fellow Aussie Jason Day
Not long after Scott‘s collapse, golf analysts Shane Bacon and Patrick McDonald discussed the fallout on a CBS Golf podcast.
Their segment ranked the top one-time major champions in golf history. McDonald, while respectful of Scott‘s résumé, made a controversial choice by ranking Jason Day above his countryman.
Between 2010 and 2017, Day logged 14 top-10 finishes at majors, including a memorable victory over Jordan Spieth at the 2015 PGA Championship. McDonald felt this consistency gave Day the edge. From 2011 to 2018, Scott also performed admirably, racking up 13 top-10 finishes and winning the 2013 Masters. But his runner-up finishes were limited to just two, and his elite form was spread across a broader time frame.
“His major resume, two runner-up finishes, 9 top fives… It feels like he should have more than the nine top fives, which is obviously a ton. But I just felt, looking through his career, he could have squeezed more out of it. So I dropped him to 4, put Jay Day at 3,” McDonald said, offering his rationale for the ranking.
Bacon then chimed in with a harsher assessment.
“The early part of his career, when he was young and he was like the next Tiger (Woods), it was bleak. And then the last 6 years have been bleak. All of the major success was in that little window when he ended up winning the Masters. And outside of that, it has not been great.”
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