Australian Adam Scott has decided not to return to the Land Down Under for the ‘Aussie Summer of Golf,’ per Evin Priest of Golf Digest.
Now part of the DP World Tour schedule, the BMW Australian PGA Championship is slated for Nov. 21-24, and the ISPS Handa Australian Open will take place the following week. Golf fans in Australia view these events as the biggest of the year, although LIV Golf Adelaide might be the most sought-after tournament now. But years before LIV’s inception, Jack Nicklaus referred to the Australian Open as the “Fifth Major,” as he, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player would play in it every year. Yet, over the past few decades, the PGA Tour has become a year-round circuit and, in turn, neglected Australian tournaments. That is why so many Australian golfers—like Scott—have prioritized returning to their home country to play in front of their native fans each November and December. Nevertheless, the 44-year-old Scott, who won the Australian PGA Championship twice and trounced the Australian Open field by five strokes in 2009, has opted to skip these this time around.
“Throughout my career, I have always done my best to come back to Australia to compete in at least some of our great local events. This year will be an exception, as I need to spend some quality time with my family and get some rest,” Scott said to Priest.
“I’m delighted to see that there are quality fields for our premier events. I wish all participants the best of luck, and I am sure the tournaments will be very successful. Even though I won’t be there this year, I thank all the sponsors for supporting Australian golf.”
Last year, Scott finished in solo sixth at the Australian PGA and then tied for fourth at the Australian Open before the calendar flipped to 2024. He began his busy year with a T-7 finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and then focused his efforts on his PGA Tour schedule at the beginning of February. Three straight top-20s followed on the West Coast, serving as a harbinger of things to come.
Scott went on to have a brilliant 2024 season, highlighted by runner-up finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and the BMW Championship in Colorado. He also tied for 4th at the Tour Championship and even posted a top-10 at Royal Troon—his first top-10 finish at a major since 2019. Perhaps even more impressively, Scott earned a special exemption into the U.S. Open, thus extending his streak of playing in consecutive majors to an unthinkable 92 straight. But he still had to try to make it through via Final Qualifying. After playing 36 holes, Scott fell just short of earning a trip to Pinehurst No. 2, but the USGA gave Scott an invite because of his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) a few days later.
The Aussie most recently made his 11th appearance in the Presidents Cup, winning two points for the International team. Those two points made Scott the most successful International player in this competition, as he has now amassed 23 points over his illustrious career—two more than Ernie Els. That said, Scott has yet to be on the winning side of the Presidents Cup, as the Internationals have now lost 10 in a row to the United States.
Scott also sits on the PGA Tour Policy Board, which the golfing world has scrutinized closely over the past year. The board continues to try to strike a deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV Golf’s beneficiary, and it is also working to reshape the structure of the PGA Tour.
All of this has kept the 2013 Masters champion quite busy, so it’s understandable that he wants to spend some downtime with his family.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
