Adam Scott and Bubba Watson among the elite peaking in time for Augusta
Tuesday 22 March 2016 16:27, UK
Robert Lee looks back on a Florida Swing dominated by a pair of Australians, and it's clear to see which elite players are hitting peak form ahead of the Masters at Augusta.
The main talking point from the Florida swing was the incredible form of Adam Scott. He was unlucky to miss out in the final event of the West Coast Swing at Riviera, and when he chipped in for birdie at the last I thought his name was on the trophy.
Bubba Watson held his nerve down the stretch to pick up his first win of the year, but Scott dusted himself down and took the first two titles in Florida.
Don't forget that Scott was widely expected to struggle on the greens having left it so late to revert to the short putter to adhere to the ban on anchored putting. Many thought he stuck it out with the broomhandle for as long as possible because he was very concerned about how he would fare with a short stick.
But the fact is, over the last month or so, he has never putted better! The thing that always struck me about Adam was that, although I saw him putt poorly in recent years, he never had the yips. Guys like Vijay Singh, Jason Dufner and Lucas Glover are all major champions, but they genuinely struggled with their putting strokes.
I never saw that with Adam, he'd just have days when he didn't putt well. He said he used to practice with the long putter to help his short stroke, but he obviously liked the feel of the broomhandle putter and went with it full-time.
But I'm not surprised at how well he's doing with the traditional putter again, and his all-round game has been magnificent. There's nobody in world golf swinging the club better than Scott right now.
Best swing in the world?
He has arguably the most "correct" swing in the world - the line of the club, the flow and tempo of the swing, the whole package is just incredible.
What also impressed me was his mental resolve on the final day at Doral. Scott double-bogeyed two of the first five holes and found himself six shots off the lead, but he birdied six of the next nine and played some flawless golf when other contenders were struggling.
Mentally, he was clearly in a good place, and his grit and determination were evident at the last when he got out of position and was a little lucky not to end up in the hazard with his second. But he chipped to six or seven feet from a really tough spot, and the winning putt was never in doubt.
He must be feeling really positive about his chances of winning a second Green Jacket early next month, although the interesting sideline to that is that he will have Steve Williams back on his bag at Augusta.
Scott has enjoyed a successful start to 2016 with Dave Clark as his caddie, but he made a promise to Williams to re-unite for the Masters and the Aussie is not a man to go back on his word.
Adam has a lot of respect for him, and I think Steve added a lot of valuable steel and grit to Scott's character during their time together.
Charl in charge
Talking of character changes, I think we saw a different side to Charl Schwartzel during his impressive victory at the Valspar Championship in Tampa. By his own admission, Charl has often been too down on himself when things weren't going well, and he would give the impression that he was not enjoying being on the golf course.
We're all different - we can't all be "happy-go-lucky" like an Andy Sullivan for example. But Charl would build pressure within himself and carry it around with him rather than try to release it.
But he appeared more animated and outgoing at the Valspar, and he looked free of those pressures as he shot the best score of the final day before beating Bill Haas at the first extra hole.
Schwartzel is a fantastic talent and a former Masters champion. Most of his wins have been in his South African homeland, but his victory in Florida was his first on the PGA Tour since claiming the Green Jacket in 2011.
That's a big step for him, and he did it on one of the toughest courses in the United States. The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook is an extreme test for any player and, along with PGA National and Bay Hill, we've seen a really good stretch of golf with courses not getting ripped apart.
Mistakes hurting McIlroy
So what to make of Rory McIlroy's performances in Florida? Well, he's been streaky for sure. He couldn't quite string four good rounds together in any given week, but there was plenty to admire.
His closing 65 at Bay Hill was sublime and moved him 37 places up the leaderboard on the final day. That was really encouraging to see. It would have been easy for him to have just gone through the motions on Sunday, but he squeezed everything he could out of that round and that's what great players do.
If Rory pulls it all together for four days at the Masters, he's got a fantastic chance of completing the career grand slam. It's just that bit of consistency that he's lacking at the moment, and six double-bogeys over 72 holes last week proved that.
But what separates Rory McIlroy from the rest is that, on his day, he can go at virtually every flag. You can do that for 16 holes and then be slightly off on the next one and run up a double, but there's not many guys who think like that.
Rory can be frustrating at Augusta National because he should be slaughtering the par-fives, but playing away from some flags to the heart of the green does not come naturally to him. His game is of such a high-standard that not going at the pin is difficult for him to contemplate.
Sometimes you have to consider aiming 30 feet left or right of the flag to the fat of the green and maybe hole the odd long putt, at least you're taking double out of the equation. Maybe that's what Rory has not done enough of at Augusta, and he has made too many mistakes generally.
I remember him carrying the 10th green from the middle of the fairway with I think a seven iron when the only good "miss" is 35 feet short, and it's those mistakes that have cost him at the Masters. But if he can manage himself better and keep those errors off his card, he'll be very tough to beat.
Case for defence in Texas
This week he defends his title at the WGC-Dell Match Play, and then he'll have a week off before heading to Augusta. So a good run in Texas will do him good, particularly as he's not playing the Shell Houston Open next week.
Yes, match play golf is completely different to a stroke play event, but he'll want to win and boost his chances of getting back to No 1 in the world. McIlroy will be putting the Masters to the back of his mind for a few days to focus on retaining his WGC crown.
But he's striking the ball well despite the odd mistake here and there, and he's not far away from his best, although we now have a number of elite players peaking at the right time ahead of the Masters.
Jason Day looked in great fettle as he won at Bay Hill, Adam Scott is obviously in superb form, and Bubba Watson is almost certain to contend for a third win at Augusta as well. Jordan Spieth has been a little out of sorts, but overall it's boiling up nicely ahead of the first major of the season.
Live World Golf Championship
Henrik Stenson has looked the best of the European challengers lately, and he's certainly got what it takes to win at Augusta. He looks fully fit having undergone knee surgery towards the end of last year, and - like Jason Day - he needs a strong body to play like he does.
But Henrik is also mentally strong, and I believe he will be in the shake-up at Augusta, and I also wouldn't be surprised if he has another good run at the Match Play this week.
However, I've got a feeling Bubba could be the man to beat at the Masters once again. He's won already this year at Riviera, and the last time he did that he went on to win his second Green Jacket.
He's been picking and choosing his tournaments very carefully, and if ever a course sets up better for one particular player over the rest, it's Augusta National that is ideally suited for Bubba. To be able to hit a 320-yard wipe fade off the tee is a huge advantage for him, and he tends to putt better when the greens are quicker.
Despite what Scott has achieved lately, despite Jason Day winning at Bay Hill, I just feel it could be Bubba's year again.
