Adam Scott wrote a letter to play Riviera

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Adam Scott didn’t want to miss the Genesis Invitational.

The tournament is conducted at Riviera Country Club, his favorite course on the PGA Tour, where he’s won twice and recorded seven top-10 finishes in 16 starts. But after finishing 72^nd in last season’s FedEx Cup standings, Scott didn’t qualify for the limited field, signature event and so the former Masters champion and world No. 1 had to do something he’d never done before: he wrote to the tournament director, not to tournament host Tiger Woods, for a sponsor exemption into the 70-man field.

“I did it how I thought was right, but if writing to Tiger works, let me know,” he said.

Asked to recall the last time he had received a sponsor invite, the 43-year-old Aussie wracked his brain and came up empty.

“I probably have been invited to a tournament in Asia or something like that throughout the years, but on the Tour; it’s been a while, that’s for sure. … I’m of the view that these invitations are unrestricted to the sponsors and they can invite whoever they want and that’s up to them. So, I feel lucky that I’ve got one of them. If I didn’t, then, you know, I didn’t qualify. So that’s how it goes. I don’t expect to get invited to every tournament that I ask for either, but I am very happy to be here.”

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Riviera is where he won as a rookie in 2005 when the event was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. He considers how he plays at Riviera as an important barometer for how prepared his game is for the upcoming major season.

“If you played well here, you’re pretty much ready for any event,” he said. “It demanded good ball striking and for most of my career, I feel I’ve been in the category of a good ball striker. I think it’s really helpful if you’re hitting your irons well, because these greens are very, very, tricky and putting from a long way away is tough.”

Scott’s last victory on Tour came at Riviera in February 2020, shortly before COVID, which had a detrimental effect on his game. (He also won the Australian PGA in his most recent start before Riviera.)

Adam Scott shares a laugh with Tiger Woods after Scott won the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. (Photo: Ryan Kang/Associated Press)

“I think I was playing great at the time when I won and I think I was top-10 in the world and trending in a good direction,” he said. “I have found it…