Scott ready for 'fresh start' after mostly forgettable 2009 season

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- With the exception of that win last fall at the Australian Open, the 2009 season was an eminently forgettable one for Adam Scott.

Scott

The 29-year-old from Australia has come to play in his first AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week brimming with optimism, though. He's proud of the way he persevered last year and anxious to see what the new year brings.

"It's 2010, it's the start of a new decade, and I'm kind of seeing it as a fresh start for me in my career," Scott said. "I probably learned more in the last 12 months than I did in the first 10 years of being a professional.

"I feel like I might have wised up a bit, and struggling a little bit last year will certainly help me in the long run. (I) got a few new things to try as far as preparation goes for golf tournaments, and some of it's discipline and getting a little more focused in on exactly what I have to do to be one of the top players in the world again, and stay there."

Given his decline last season -- Scott only had one top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR and missed nine cuts in 19 starts -- staying positive was difficult. Once a top-10 player in the world, he now clocks in at No. 43, but that win in his national Open was a big boost.

"Obviously any win is good, but that one was quite special," said Scott, who closed out the season with three top-10s in Europe. "... You know, the Australian Open has been one of the great tournaments in the world for a long time. It probably isn't considered that at the moment, or anymore, but to look at the names on that trophy is like looking at a Claret Jug or something.

"So it feels great to be on it, and to have finally won in Australia is good for me. Gets a lot of people off my back at home. But it was a great way to end a pretty frustrating year where I didn't get much out of it, but I played well in a string of events toward the end the year. So the form was good. Certainly turned it around and looking to just kind of pick up on that now."

Scott said the newly configured PGA TOUR schedule that puts the Northern Trust Open and World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in the two weeks around Pebble Beach allowed him to add the celebrity clambake to his schedule.

"I think it's a good date," Scott said. "It fits well for me to come to L.A. which is a place I like a lot, and then to get to come here, obviously to some more great golf courses, and then going to the Match Play. So a nice three weeks."