ORLANDO, FLORIDA (AP) – On Thursday, Adam Scott took a different strategy around Bay Hill Club and Lodge. He didn’t have a driver with him.
Instead, Scott used a 2-wood and put a priority on accuracy, sacrificing length for a better chance of avoiding the thicker, gnarlier rough at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“If you look at my driver statistics, you’ll see that accuracy isn’t one of them. “Distance is fine, but accuracy isn’t,” said Scott, who was rated No. 183 on the Tour in driving accuracy at little over 52% entering the week. “It’s not a temptation if it’s not in the bag.”
After all, Scott knew better than to “get into a big-hitting contest with Rory McIlroy,” with whom he played in the first round.
The driverless experiment, on the other hand, did not produce the desired results. Scott was in the lowest fourth of the 120-player field in strokes gained: off-the-tee, losing roughly a half-shot each tee shot. He also only hit the ball 269.5 yards off the tee.
Despite this, Scott managed to shoot a 4-under 68, which was tied for second best in the morning round behind only McIlroy’s 65.
The question now is whether the driver will remain on the sidelines.
“I’m not sure,” Scott said. “I’ll have to consider whether I’ll do it tomorrow or not.”
