When Adam Scott dropped out of the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking between the November Masters of 2020 and the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions, he was 40 years of age.

He’d won the Genesis Invitational less than 12 months earlier and a swing that makes grown men drool looked as fluid as ever, but time remains undefeated.

Yes, Jack Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters at 46 years of age and Vijay Singh rose to No.1 in the world for the first time at age 41 professional golf in the 21st century is very much a young man’s game.

You don’t get better after 40; it’s more a matter of who can delay the inevitable slide the longest.

Adam Scott playing his way back into the top 20 in the world at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club deserved more fanfare.

As the golf year draws to its close, Scott remains embedded in the top 20; you have to go down to Justin Rose at No.46 in the world to find another 40-something inside the top 50.

To quote Ron Burgundy of ‘Anchorman’ fame, Scott’s season escalated quickly.

Top 10s at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and WM Phoenix Open were a solid foundation yet in the lead-up to the US Open Scott’s streak of 91 consecutive majors was in danger as he hovered around 60th in the world.

He lost a playoff to Cam Davis at the US Open qualifier but was given a special exemption on the Monday to tee it up at Pinehurst No.2.

But it was a runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open that sent Scott’s season into overdrive.

A tie for 10th at The Open Championship a week later was his first top-10 in a major since the 2019 US Open and then he played his way into the Tour Championship with a tie for 18th at the FedEx St Jude Championship and tie for second at the BMW Championship.

Having done enough to play his way into the DP World Tour Playoffs, Scott ended his year at the DP World Tour Championship where he finished third, his major streak set to reach 94 at the 2025 Masters.

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