US Open stars laud Aussie Adam Scott as he prepares for 92nd straight major championship

Jordan Spieth would have to play every major for the next 12 years to match the record being set by an Aussie superstar this week.

No wonder Adam Scott is all smiles. Picture: Tim Heitman/Getty Images/AFP

The magnitude of Adam Scott playing in a 92nd straight major at this week’s US Open isn’t lost on his fellow competitors at Pinehurst who have labelled the Australian star’s achievement both “unbelievable” and “insane”.

Scott, 42, was one of the last players included in the 156-player field and conceded he left the course in Springfield, Ohio last week after a qualifying playoff loss to fellow Australian Cam Davis with “a lot of uncertainty”.

“It’s funny, not having been in that position there is a lot to finding out how a field gets filled, and it’s complicated,” Scott said after arriving at Pinehurst, his place secure.

“I’m grateful I haven’t been in this position too much.”

No one can believe what Adam Scott has done. Picture: Harry How/Getty Images

Scott’s presence will continue a streak that began at the 2001 US Open, a span of 23 years, continuing the longest active streak among players, with Jordan Spieth, who has played 44 in a row, next best.

It’s such a significant gap that Spieth would need to play every major for the next 12 years to get close, with Scott’s streak certain to hit 94 in 2025 with qualification locked in for this year’s British Open and next year’s, and every year’s, Masters.

The volume of golf needed to play in every major for more than two decades is the factor that left his peers at Pinehurst in awe of the former world No.1

“It’s unbelievable. I heard about it last week and had to ask, is that right?” American Sam Burns told the PGA.

“What is that, 23 years? It’s insane. Adam Scott is a world-class player and has been a world-class player for many years, so it’s pretty cool to see.

The 124th U.S. Open field is now complete!

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 10, 2024

Jack Nicklaus is the only golfer in history to play 100 majors in a row, but Scott is unlikely to match the Golden Bear’s feat of playing in 146 straight, from 1962 to 1998.

Despite that, US veteran Billy Horschel said Scott’s record was, like so many set by Tiger Woods, hard to “fathom”.

“To play 91 straight majors. I know there was a couple of years, or a year there or so, that he struggled with his game, but to be there and to be able to play a high level like he is, it just shows you the talent that Adam had and still has,” he said.

“We are all just in awe when we think about it. I’m 37 and when I was 14 he was playing in his first major and has played every major since. I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

South Korean star Si Woo Kim, a Presidents Cup teammate of Scott who wanted him to be part of the team again this year, said Scott remained his idol for his longevity in the game.

“I love him … that (91) is a crazy number. It’s so hard to do it, even three or four years in a row is hard, but that’s crazy.”

This US Open will the 23rd for Scott, and a third at Pinehurst, where he previously finished ninth in 2014 and shared 28th in 2005. His best US Open finish was fourth in 2015 at Chambers Bay.