Golf can be a tough game, and Adam Scott learned that on Thursday at Doral. He received a two-shot penalty on the eighth hole for playing the wrong ball, finishing his first round with a 4-over 76.

The violation of Rule 6.3(c), playing the wrong ball, was something Scott admitted he had never done in his entire career.

"It's such a silly thing to do," he said Saturday. "An odd set of circumstances leading up to me not checking it, which I think I've done thousands of times."

Flushing It shared Scott's thoughts on X on May 4: "I was so disheartened after Friday's round. My putting was just so bad."

The opening-round error plummeted Scott down the leaderboard, and his Friday 71 provided little initial relief.

Scott then shot 66 and 64 over the weekend without a bogey, second time in his career, finishing T4 at 11-under 277 while going 14-under across his final 36 holes at the same course where he won in 2016.

"That's good playing around here, for sure," Scott said. "Especially yesterday in the wind, I played really, really nicely."

The turnaround had a specific trigger. Trevor Immelman, a CBS Sports analyst and former Masters champion who serves as a second set of eyes for Scott, noticed an issue with his left elbow that affected his putting stroke.

"He noticed a little something with my left elbow," Scott said. "It gave me something to focus on and probably improved my path and face without really having to stress too much about it. So a few more went in, thank you, Trev."

Adam Scott Eyes PGA Championship With Momentum and a Milestone on the Line

The Truist Championship is next, and Scott says it is important preparation before the PGA Championship. If he plays there, it will be his 99th major tournament in a row.

Then in June, the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club could become his 100th straight major start. Only Jack Nicklaus has a longer streak, with 154 consecutive starts.

The Doral finish likely secures Scott's top-60 ranking, ensuring U.S. Open qualification. He also knows how special this streak is for him.

"Part of me doesn't want to be the guy who just has all these other things that aren't based around winning events," Scott said. "I would rather win some stuff."

Scott was direct with what it will take.

"To win a major, I'm going to need to put four days together, not just a weekend coming from behind," he said. "I feel like my game is there."

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav