Adam Scott: Second isn’t good enough

IT IS win or bust for Adam Scott at the PGA Championship.

AKRON, OH - AUGUST 03: Adam Scott of Australia lines up a putt on the seventh green during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club South Course on August 3, 2014 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

IT IS win or bust for Adam Scott at the PGA Championship.

Now world No.2 after being dethroned by a rampant Rory McIlroy on Sunday, Scott admits he is at the point where anything short of a win is unacceptable.

He tees it up in the final major of 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club expecting nothing short of lifting the Wanamaker trophy and cementing his place in history as just the fourth Australian to become a multiple major winner.

When asked if continuing his streak as the most consistent major player over the last three years with a second or third place finish would be good enough, the Queenslander didn’t hold back.

“Not really, no. It’s tough, but at some point you just have to look for wins, and that’s only what’s going to satisfy me,” Scott said.

“I’ve had lots of good finishes in majors, but I left the (British) Open extremely disappointed.

“I felt I played really well and I finished fifth, and there are lots of good things to take from that but I still didn’t get to lift the trophy, and that, at the end of the day, is why I’m working hard and putting in so much. I would like to get the result.”

After seeing the course for the first time over the first two practice days Scott expects low scores and will try to replicate the 2013 event where he opened with a 65 to take the lead.

The 34-year-old has been seventh, 11th and fifth over the last three PGA Championships but after being well behind others at times in this season’s big ones he’ll look to be aggressive early on Thursday to set a cracking pace for others to chase.

“Hopefully all aspects of my game are kind of firing, and they will need to be,” Scott said.

“A lot of the other players are playing some really great golf this summer, and ultimately, if it does, it will come down to who makes the most putts.

“Weather conditions being good, I think there are going to be good scores.

“So it’s nice that I have an early morning tee time on Thursday and hopefully I can take advantage of that.”

Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Geoff Ogilvy, Matt Jones, Steven Bowditch, John Senden and little known Brisbane born and now Texas golf pro Stuart Deane join Scott as an eight-strong Australian tilt looking to get the Wanamaker for the first time since Steve Elkington saluted in 1995.

Originally published as Adam Scott: Second isn’t good enough