Just twice in 23 years has former Masters champion Adam Scott had to scramble for an 11th-hour ticket to a major. The two occasions could not be more contrasting, despite both coming at U.S. Open final qualifying.
In 2018, Scott had fallen outside the top 60 on the Official World Golf Ranking and was forced to tee up in 36-hole qualifying at the Columbus, Ohio, sectional the day after the Memorial Tournament. Dozens of fans walked in the fairway alongside the former World No.1, at the Brookside and The Lakes courses, as the Australian star successfully secured a spot in the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. That was the 68th straight major he’d played in his career.
Six years later, Scott was left in limbo when he was beaten in a sudden-death playoff at U.S. Open qualifying last week by fellow Australian, Cam Davis. After three extra holes, Davis bagged the last of four spots given to the Springfield, Ohio, site. That meant Scott, who was not in this week’s signature event at the Memorial Tournament and couldn’t improve his world ranking, had to wait to see if his number projected high enough to scrape through on the OWGR deadline of June 10, or rely on the USGA to select him as first alternate from the Springfield site.
At World No. 61, Scott narrowly secured his Pinehurst start when the USGA said it was prepared to remove Grayson Murray, who passed away last month, from its ranking criteria if it were to affect any player who might have qualified via the top 60 category.
That means 43-year-old Scott, who will tee up in his 92nd consecutive major, will keep alive golf’s longest active streak in the majors, having played every championship since the 2001 Open at Royal Lytham. Scott, after traveling to New York last week for a meeting between representatives of the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, headed to North Carolina to begin preparations for the U.S. Open. He has already played two practice rounds at Pinehurst No. 2.
Per Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig, only 18 players in golf history have played in 100 or more major championships. Jack Nicklaus teed up in 146 straight, while no other player has played 100 consecutive majors.
Scott is also guaranteed his 93rd straight major at the Open Championship next month (he qualified via the Open Qualifying Series at the 2023 Australian Open) and his 94th via the 2025 Masters, given he is a past champion.
As for the 95th major? Well, Scott will worry about that when it comes to the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.