Scott dreams of becoming a successful golfer on the professional level, and he’s determined to make it happen. At 27 and at the peak of his physical powers, the Moore County native and Union Pines High School graduate is sure that the only thing he needs to realize his dream is tournament experience.
Some of that experience will be obtained over the next few months as Scott pursues his career as a provisional qualifier on the Canadian Tour. One of the nine official World Tours, the Canadian is an important step on the road to success.
Scott sat in a rocker on the Pinehurst Country patio on a recent Wednesday afternoon, looking out over the 18th green of the No. 2 Course where Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open, and shared his feelings about his professional career.
He was just back from Orlando, Fla., where he had earned a conditional card for the Canadian Tour, and he was gathering himself for what he considers may be the defining year of his career.
“I’m happy to be where I am right now,” Scott said. “Last October I had just missed advancing to the second stage of PGA Qualifying by shooting 78 in the last round at National Golf Club, and that was a really low time. Four hours earlier I was planning on being in the second stage, and then I shot 78 and it was over.”
But that was then. Now he’s on top again mentally, filled with positive thoughts and ready to make his mark in the professional world.
That became a possibility when Scott rallied from a slow start to shoot 71-69 in the final two rounds of the five-round Canadian Tour Qualifier at Champions Gate Golf Club. His 73-74-73-71-69—360 earned a 29th-place finish. The top 20 received full playing privileges, while the next 15 and ties earned conditional cards.
“I’m happy to be where I am,” he said. “One shot higher and I wouldn’t have qualified at all. There are 16 events on the Canadian Tour, and I’m guaranteed a spot in about 11 of them. Hopefully I’ll get in 13, and making it into all 16 would be great.”
To do that, Scott will have to do some of his best scoring on Mondays, qualifying for the events that he isn’t exempted into.
“The first event is next week in Houston,” he said, “and I’m leaving Thursday to prepare. That’s a small field event, and everyone wants to play in it because it’s being shown on The Golf Channel. To make it, I’ll have to qualify on Monday. Then, if I make the cut, I should be qualified for the next week.”
Scott has had one win since turning professional, a 36-hole event on the North Atlantic Tour. He was named North Carolina High School Player of the Year in 1993 after winning the state championship and was MVP on the Rice University team his senior year.
“I think my game is great right now,” he said. “I sat down with Eric Alpenfels and Rich Wainwright (Pinehurst professionals who have been working with him for years), my parents and my brother, and we tried to figure out the strengths of my game and what it would take to get to the next level.
“One thing was that I needed to play, and I’ve done a ton of that this winter. I’ve had a great offseason, and I think I needed that. I had to learn to shoot low numbers and I think I proved I can do that when I have to in the last two rounds of qualifying.
“I didn’t get much out of the first three rounds, but I had patience, and it paid off in the 71-69 finish.”
Although he was disappointed in the 78 that cost him an advance into the second stage of PGA Qualifying last fall, Scott didn’t let it deter his determination.
“I didn’t go home and sit there and relive the final round,” he said. “I just tried to rebuild my game to where that won’t happen again. I would have been right there with a 72. It was disappointing, but it was probably better that it happened in the first stage than in the second, when the stakes would have been so much higher.”
Scott thinks he’s much more prepared for the Canadian than in his first venture in 2000.
“My first time out, I was one of the new guys,” he said. “I was 25 years old and in a different country, away from home and trying to learn to play. Now I’m going out with a new attitude and goals. Not so much stroke average, but beating people. It’s a gentleman’s game, but you have to beat people, whether they’re your friends or not. I think I have the ability to be aggressive, to fight back.
“I really think this is going to be a good year. I’ve dedicated myself to working on my game and working out physically. Now I just have to get into a couple of events and see what happens. I have to use my strong points to my advantage.
“I was just getting comfortable on the Canadian when it ended. I made four of the last six cuts and had a best finish of 18th. I don’t think I’ve come close to my potential yet, because I’ve never had the opportunity to play 30 events in a year. This year I should be able to do that. I’m hoping for maybe 15 on the Canadian Tour and seven on the New England Tour, plus some other things.
“I’m very excited, feel confident, and there’s no anxiety this year. People grow into their clothes, and I think I’ve just grown into my game — finally — at 27.”
