Australian talisman Adam Scott knew before he left Melbourne that was the case and is applying Els’ ‘all or nothing’ attitude to his own assault on golf’s most prominent events.

Revelling in the winning feeling and elevated confidence that comes with victory at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera on Sunday, Scott is one of six Australians teeing it up in the opening World Golf Championships event of the year in Mexico.

It’s an event that Scott hasn’t played since he was the defending champion in 2017 but thought it was important following an extended break over Christmas to once again test himself in events that bring the world’s best players together.

In addition to the Mexico Championship, Scott’s 2020 schedule will also include Dell Technologies Match Play in March and the Queenslander is using Els’ captaincy decision as a blueprint to map out more tournament success.

Given the competitiveness of the matches at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, many expected Els to stay on for the 2021 matches at the Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina but Scott understands – and respects – why Els is declining a second crack as captain.

“He told me straightaway after the Cup,” Scott said of Els’ decision.

“I was a little bit surprised but only because captains have captained a few times in the past.

“He put so much into it and I really respect the fact that he said I gave it everything I had and he came up short and he shouldn’t get a second chance, he should pass it on and let someone else do it.

“I really like that attitude, actually. I think that’s a nice attitude for me to take playing to the course; I get one shot at this tournament this week, and I don’t get another go and I should make it count.

“That’s kind of what he was saying, and that was one of many really important messages he left with our team that week for the future.”

A two-time WGC winner, Scott has played only one of the early-season WGC events since 2016 but said that the Mexico Championship and Match Play were important pieces of his preparation for THE PLAYERS and The Masters.

“For the last couple years, I’ve put World Golf Championships in and out of the schedule a little bit, trying to find what’s working for me,” Scott admitted.

“As I’ve started playing better and better last year, to be the best player out here, you’ve got to play against the best, and that means coming to these events.

“It was pretty easy to put this back in and also the Match Play back on the schedule for this year and at least give myself an idea of where my game is sitting against the best players in the world a little more often.

“The Match Play has never been the first one on my schedule, but it’s another opportunity for me to see at least three competitive rounds of golf, where I’m at, what I need to work on. Keep me competitively pretty fresh with a week off before the Masters.

“It seemed like a fairly logical schedule based off the break.”

Scott has been paired with local hope Carlos Ortiz and Spanish star Jon Rahm for the opening round of the Mexico Championship with Marc Leishman in a super-group with Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas.

There are also five Aussies in action in the concurrent PGA TOUR Puerto Rico Open hoping to give their FedEx Cup points tally a boost, Cameron Percy and Cameron Davis the best-placed early in the year in 47th and 52nd position respectively.

WGC – Mexico Championship
Chapultepec GC, Mexico City, Mexico
4.03am Scott Hend, Byeong Hun An, Tyrrell Hatton
4.15am*              Ryan Fox, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Billy Horschel
4.27am Cameron Smith, Matt Kuchar, Corey Conners
5.15am Lucas Herbert, Taehee Lee, Kurt Kitayama
5.15am*              Zach Murray, Benjamin Hebert, Collin Morikawa
5.51am Marc Leishman, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas
6.03am Adam Scott, Carlos Ortiz, Jon Rahm

TV Coverage: Only available through GolfTV
Defending Champion: Dustin Johnson
Australian Winners: Geoff Ogilvy (2008), Adam Scott (2016)
Top Aussie Prediction: Adam Scott

PGA TOUR
Puerto Rico Open
Coco Beach Golf and Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
10.54pm              John Senden, Ricky Barnes, Zac Blair
11.05pm              Tim Wilkinson, Arjun Atwal, Carlos Franco
2.40am*              Cameron Percy, George McNeill, Sam Saunders
2.51am*              Robert Allenby, Dicky Pride, Xinjun Zhang
3.57am*              Rhein Gibson, Michael Gligic, Chandler Phillips
4.19am*              Cameron Davis, Ryan Brehm, Parker Gillam

TV Coverage: Round 1 live from 2.30am Friday on Fox Sports 503
Defending Champion: Martin Trainer
Top Aussie Prediction: Cameron Davis