He might be chasing glory in Melbourne this week, but Adam Scott already has one eye firmly on Emirates Australian Open revenge.

Scott, seeking the third leg of Australian golf’s triple crown last year, led until the 72nd and final hole of the Open at Royal Sydney before being over-run by Rory McIlroy.

Next week at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, the pair, now ranked No.1 and No.2 in the world, will go head to head again.

And Scott hasn’t forgotten how the Northern Irishman prevented him from winning his second national title and becoming just the second player to win the Triple Crown after wins at the Australian Masters and PGA.

"I’ve still got a thorn in my side about the Australian Open last year.  So next week it will be fun to have another crack at that," he said with a grin.

Scott is seeking a third successive gold jacket in Melbourne this week, but he’s clearly hoping it fine-tunes his game for his Sydney assault.

"I’ll hopefully be in great form next week and have to deal with Rory and Jordan Spieth and all the other guys."

McIlroy, who went on to win two major championships this year, has made no secret of the boost in confidence the Stonehaven Cup game him throughout 2014 after he battled – by his lofty standards — through much of last year.

And Scott, who himself used his 2012 Australian Masters victory as a springboard to the 2013 US Masters title, stressed the importance of late-season success as a platform from which to build next year.

The Queenslander hadn’t won in 2012 untilhis Kingston Heath Masters triumph – and it was just the kick he needed.

"It was down to one of the last few events, and I had played so well that year," he said.

"We all sat there and somewhat joked, Iguess, afterwards about winning the gold jacket, and then the green one’s next.

"But it’s amazing how much confidence you can take from a win anywhere on any circuit in the world and what that can do for you and spur you on to.

"I look at this year as exactly the same.  I’ve played a lot of good golf this year and I think I could have got more out of it.

"But I still can with some good weeks."

Scott, acknowledging the record crowds that flocked to last year’s Emirates Australian Open, said they were inspiring.

"I feel like the last four years, three or four years, there’s been a lot of momentum with golf in Australia.

"I’m looking forward to playing in Sydney again."

The 2014 Emirates Australian Open will be played at The Australian Golf Club from November 27-30.

The event will be telecast for all four days on Channel 7.

Emirates Australian Open is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia. 

Related Links

News / Stars spread across draw for Australian Open
Overview / Emirates Australian Open Tournament page