Mark Roe says a kind gesture and some harsh words have taken Adam Scott back into the winners' circle.
All to play for at this week's HP Byron Nelson
The Valero Texas Open moved home last week and I feel it was an excellent move.
La Cantera was a low-scoring golf course, indeed records were often broken there for low scores, but the new TPC San Antonio course was a success. Visually, it was very impressive and the changes in elevation clearly provided a tough challenge for the players.
It brought the best out of the field and I thoroughly enjoyed watching last week's event.
It was wonderful to see Adam Scott back in the winners' circle. He had slumped down the rankings from his career nigh of number four in 2007, but a turning point arrived at last year's President's Cup.
He was selected by his boyhood hero and good friend Greg Norman and that must have been a real boost to his confidence. It was a kind gesture from Norman to put his faith in someone he believes is talented, but was not in the best of form.
On the back of that selection, Scott went to the Australian Open and won. I congratulated him on that win when I saw him recently and of course, outside of the majors, your home Open is the one you want to win.
He has been taking steps forward and there have been signs of his best form this year. He played absolutely beautifully in the last round in Texas, the only glitch being the short putt he missed at 18, but it was a tremendous overall performance.
He can now rebuild and capitalise on that display. It's now time for him to move back towards the world top 10 where he belongs - or even crack the top five again.
He's back up to 36 in the rankings, but this is a guy who's good enough to win major championships. Even when he was playing well he didn't perform as well as he should have in the big events and maybe his dive down the rankings will serve as a wake-up call for him.
I know his coach Butch Harmon had some strong words for him, as a good coach always should. He told him to make a decision and told him that if he really wanted it he had to put more into his golf.
Everybody in golf will tell you that you only get out of the game what you put into it - and those strong words from Harmon clearly worked.
Texas was a massive week for Scott and I was delighted to see him doing so well.
Caught the eye
Ernie Els also caught the eye after a poor start in Texas.
He struggled through the first 13 holes of the first round, but a magnificent eagle on the 14th turned his day - and his tournament - around.
He wasn't firing on all cylinders and missed a lot of putts, but even though he wasn't on full throttle he managed to finish in the top five for the fourth time this season.
That's further evidence of how high he can climb this season.
Established
The PGA Tour heads to the HP Byron Nelson this week, one of the oldest and most established events on the calendar.
But there will be a lot of attention on one of golf's newest stars as Rickie Fowler tees off in Dallas this week.
He was heralded as one of golf's bright young things at the start of 2010 and despite a little bit of inconsistency early on, he hasn't disappointed.
He has shown some great skills when he has gotten himself into contention. He's one to watch and is somebody who always gets the crowds going.
I'll also be watching out for Hunter Mahan, who already has a win under his belt this year following his success at the Phoenix Open.
He is one of many American stars looking to get into Corey Pavin's Ryder Cup team and each week on the Tour is proving crucial for somebody like him.
There's not only Ryder Cup points on offer, but also FedEx Cup points - and the players know that after this event the top 10 in 2010 earning will qualify for the US Open - as do the top 50 in rankings.
There's everything to play for. It should be great to watch.
