The striking good looks that could have put Adam Scott in the centre of Hollywood rather than on the 18th green at Riviera Country Club 20 kilometres down Sunset Boulevard remain that there is a sense that time is running out.

He will turn 40 on July 16 yet looks barely a day older than the 23-year-old who won his first PGA TOUR event at the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship.

Turning 40 is historically when golfers stop winning and start padding their retirement nest eggs yet Scott has designs to defy Father Time and make the next five years the most productive of a career that is on the verge of Hall of Fame status.

Scott’s victory at the Genesis Invitational was officially the 14th of his PGA TOUR career and 31st worldwide, coming just 56 days after claiming his second Australian PGA Championship crown at RACV Royal Pines prior to Christmas.

Rather than fighting fatigue from an intense Presidents Cup experience at Royal Melbourne, Scott spoke of the importance of winning that week, a stance he reiterated on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles as he eyes off more majors to go with his historic 2013 Masters triumph.

Yet history tells us age is not on his side.

With his 22 PGA TOUR wins post-40, Scott pointed towards Vijay Singh as an inspiration as to what is possible in your fifth decade on earth but even the best players of all time ultimately run short of it.

Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan are the only two players to win at least three major championships after their 40th birthday, yet five of their combined six came before either legend turned 41.

Gary Player and Tom Watson won 17 major championships between them yet could muster just five PGA TOUR titles combined beyond 39.

Beyond periods where confidence eluded him, Scott has enjoyed a 20-year career largely devoid of injuries and as he continues to find the best way to manage golf and family, has identified the next five years as the time to leave his legacy.

“Everyone tells me I’m turning 40 this year. I don’t know if they’re insinuating that’s kind of the beginning of the end,” Scott joked in his winner’s press conference.

“There’s no doubt that the age of guys peaking is getting younger. There are far less dominant players in their 40s today than there was before.

“I feel lucky. At the moment I’m very healthy as far as a golfing 39-year-old goes and I’ve got to make the most of that while I’m out here.

“It’s only getting to get harder, probably. I hope I’m the exception to the rule and kind of play like Vijay did in his 40s.

“Even before winning this week I feel like physically and, somewhat mentally, I’m OK after 20 years out here.

“I really do believe that if I can maintain motivation and focus that the next five years can be my best years on tour.

“It’s easy to say those things, it’s very hard to do. Maintaining that focus and drive for that long period of time isn’t easy but I think I need that to achieve everything and leave the game satisfied at some point.

“They’re pretty lofty goals but this is a good start. It’s one week out of the next five years.”

Scott’s daughter Bo Vera turned 5 on Saturday and son Byron will turn three in August, their births coinciding with their father’s fall to 76th in the world rankings heading into the 2018 US PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.

His third-place finish that week began his climb back into golf’s upper echelon and on Tuesday he is expected to rise to No.7 in the world, his first time back in the top 10 since June 2, 2017.

“It’s taken me a couple of years to figure out how to balance everything going on and try and play at the top level,” Scott admitted, describing the period just prior to the 2018 PGA as “the height of the frustration”.

“For a couple of years [not winning] weighed on my mind. It was frustrating, but I was generally frustrated for ’17 and ’18.

“There was lots changing in my life with a couple of kids and I was pushing myself very hard on the golf course, probably in the wrong direction a little bit.

“You get in a bit of a funk and still expecting to be a great player and win tournaments. I realised that you really need to have things lined up and things going your way to give yourself a chance to win out here.

“I think I’m getting better at that. Hopefully I keep getting better at that.”