HONOLULU – Any new year can start with an old question: What will Phil Mickelson do next?

He’s already thrown a change-up into his schedule – starting his year in a different desert when he tees it up this week in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship before returning to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

He likely will skip the Match Play Championship again. The curve ball is Mickelson’s intention of skipping Riviera to play the Honda Classic.

Mickelson last played the Honda Classic in 2002 when it was at TPC Heron Bay. It now is at PGA National, a typical Florida resort course with water on seemingly every hole. He has played Riviera the last seven years, with two wins and two playoff losses.

What really excites Mickelson is a new driver Callaway Golf made for him.

Mickelson was at his best with a 3-wood – think back to the 17th at Muirfield, two key shots that led to a claret jug. He says Callaway has used the same technology in that 3-wood and used it for a driver.

“That lowers the spin rate and allows me to drive it much penetratingly through the air, a lot straighter and I’ve never driven it this well,” he said Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. “That’s why I’m so excited about this year. If I can take that weakness and turn it into a strength, the other areas of my game have been as good as they’ve ever been. And I’m excited about what 2014 could lead to.”

It’s rarely dull with Mickelson.

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HUDSON AND HARRIS: A new season means new faces on the PGA Tour, such as Hudson Swafford.

Or was that Harris English?

The two former Georgia Bulldogs  and residents at Sea Island  have been mistaken for each other dating to their junior golf days. Both are 6-foot-3 with a languid walk, smooth swing, gracious manners and an easy smile. And they’re best of friends. English was late getting to Hawaii because he was in Swafford’s wedding on New Year’s Eve.

“Larry Penley was the best,” Swafford said, referring to the Clemson coach. “I don’t think he knows Harris English exists. It was always ‘Hudson’ to me and him.”

Swafford is two years older, so it was English who most often was called by the wrong name. That’s changed in the last few years, especially around Sea Island. English won twice last year and is in his third year on tour. Swafford, always the big brother to English, is a rookie.

“Around Sea Island, I’m Harris now,” Swafford said.

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HIGH ROLLER: Pat Perez might not face greater pressure all year than the final day of 2013.

He got engaged to his girlfriend of two years, Ashley Pendley, on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. Typical of Perez, this was no ordinary engagement. He was going to a private party at the MGM Grand, where Stevie Nicks was to perform. Perez persuaded MGM officials to give him the stage before the show. All they said was to be ready.

“It was for all their high rollers – and me. Their $280 million in credit and my $500,” Perez said. “So they call me. There’s 2,000 people in there, and I’m hammered. I know a lot of the MGM guys, and they were giving me fireball shots at 8 o’clock. I’m getting nervous now. I get the microphone and I call her. They walked her over, I somehow get it out and I drop (to a knee), and they go crazy.”

She said yes. Perez knew that. After all, Penley picked out the ring.

The entire setting has a diameter the size of a dime. Perez said the centre was 6 karats, and the entire ring was 11 karats. He declined to say a price, only that “it’s more than this bag is worth” as he pointed to his golf bag.

The wedding is planned for the end of the year, depending on how his season goes.

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LONG TRIP PAYS OFF: Robert Streb figured he would be an alternate in the Sony Open, but he bought a ticket to Hawaii, anyway. It was freezing in Kansas City, Mo. He could always try to Monday qualify. And there were worse places he could be.

Streb wound up in the right spot.

He was the second alternate when the final field was announced. He missed out on Monday qualifying by two shots. But the first alternate, Shawn Stefani, chose not to fly to Hawaii from Houston. And when Hideki Matsuyama withdrew after the pro-am, Streb was in.

“I just figured I’d hang around and see if I got lucky,” Streb said. “And I did.”

Stefani can’t be faulted. As a rookie, Carl Petterson was the first alternate when the field was set. He waited three days, up until the last group teed off Thursday, and headed to the airport.

“It’s obviously a lot of money and time to come out here,” Streb said. “If you don’t feel you have a good chance, it’s perfectly understandable.”

Streb closed with a 73 to tie for 68th, earning three FedEx Cup points. That’s not much, but keep in mind that a year ago, Streb missed out on the playoffs by 10 points. Without full status, he hopes to get 15 starts this year, including Monday qualifying. If that doesn’t go well, he’ll try some Web.com Tour events.

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UP FOR ELECTION: Jason Bohn, Charley Hoffman and Kevin Streelman are on the ballot to join the PGA Tour policy board.

The tour named its 16-man Player Advisory Council for 2014, which advises and consults the policy board and Commissioner Tim Finchem on various issues. Among the newcomers to the PAC is Lee Westwood, who rejoined the two years ago. His selection is noteworthy as one of the PAC member selected by the players on the board.

The players on the board chose Bohn, Hoffman and Streelman to run for chairman of the PAC through an election that ends after Pebble Beach. Whoever is elected will serve a three-term on the policy board starting in 2015.

The rest of the PAC includes Stewart Cink, Ken Duke, Trevor Immelman, Matt Kuchar, Scott Langley, Marc Leishman, Davis Love III, Will MacKenzie, Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Putnam, Webb Simpson and Brendon Todd.

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DIVOTS: Mark Loomis returns to golf as the co-ordinating producer for golf production and studio programming at Fox Sports. His experience should come in handy when Fox begins its 12-year deal with the USGA to broadcast the U.S. Open and the rest of its championships. Fox currently does not broadcast any golf tournaments. Loomis previously worked for ABC when it covered PGA Tour events. … The Champions Tour gets underway this week on the Big Island in Hawaii with the Mitsubishi Electric Championships open to winners the last two years, senior major winners the last five years and eight special exemptions. The exemptions went to four major champions, along with Esteban Toledo, Mark Wiebe, Willie Wood and Kirk Triplett. Vijay Singh did not get an exemption. … Rory McIlroy plans to play the Scottish Open this year the week before the British Open.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: Seven of the eight winners on the PGA Tour this season have shot 66 or better in the final round. The exception was Ryan Moore, who closed with a 70 and won a playoff in Malaysia.

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FINAL WORD: “I feel like to play well in the Masters and U.S. Open it’s important to start the year right and get in contention, because you don’t want to be in the final group on Sunday of a major having not been in that position earlier in the year.” – Phil Mickelson.

Shaw Communications has announced a multi-year partnership with Canada’s top-ranked PGA TOUR pro and Presidents Cup breakout star Graham DeLaet. As part of the agreement, DeLaet will sport the Shaw logo on the front of his hat and golf bag in golf tournaments around the world. DeLaet hits the field for the first time with Shaw branded gear at the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open, January 23-26 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, CA.

“Graham is a highly accomplished athlete, a proud Canadian and a great ambassador for the game of golf,” said Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications Inc. “We are proud to have Graham represent Shaw and all of our employees and welcome him as part of our growing support for this great game in Canada.”

“I’m very excited to be part of the Shaw team. Shaw is one of the great, homegrown Canadian companies with a storied history of charitable and community support, which is something that I strongly believe in,” said Graham DeLaet.

This partnership will see Shaw and Graham explore all opportunities to create exciting new golf content, for viewers and advertisers by leveraging Shaw’s considerable media assets. Through this agreement Shaw will also become the official communications provider for DeLaet.

Known as one of golf’s best ball strikers, DeLaet had a breakout year in 2013, recording seven Top 10 finishes and finishing 21st on the PGA TOUR’s money list. He also placed eighth in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and finished the season with a solid performance in his first appearance with the International Team at the Presidents Cup. Starting off the 2014 PGA TOUR season, Graham has already recorded two top 10 finishes in three official events, and is currently ranked 23rd on the TOUR’s money list.

In addition to being the broadcast destination for golf through Global TV, Shaw is also a premier sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open and the title sponsor of the Shaw Charity Classic, the Champions Tour event held at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club in Calgary.

Teeing-up the Humana Challenge

This week’s PGA TOUR stop, the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, focuses on fitness and healthy lifestyles but the event actually mirrors the human body in many ways. Check out this video produced by PGA TOUR Entertainment to see what I mean.

Hughes named finalist for Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year

Dundas, Ont. native Mackenzie Hughes has been named a a finalist for the Golden Horseshoe athlete of the year award.

Hughes, who will compete on the WebDotCom Tour this year, finished atop the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit in 2013, earning $52,114.29 for his efforts.

Read more in this story by the Hamilton Spectator.

 Golf Channel travels to Cabot Links

Golf Channel’s Matt Ginella travelled to Nova Scotia with Ben Crenshaw, Mike Keiser and Bill Coore to take a look at Cabot Links in Inverness, N.S. and check out the development of Cabot Cliffs – a new course slated to open in 2015.

The PGA Tour put together the following video featuring the top-10 all-time fittest PGA Tour players. I’ll give you a hint as to who topped the list – he’s 78 and still manages 1,000 push-ups and sit-ups a day.

TaylorMade-adidas re-signs Korda, Recari and Kang

TaylorMade-adidas Golf announced the contract extensions of LPGA players Jessica Korda, Beatriz Recari and Danielle Kang. The trio will continue representation of the company as LPGA Tour professionals.

Korda, who enjoyed her most successful season on the LPGA Tour in 2013 with six top-10 finishes, will continue to play TaylorMade metalwoods, irons, wedges and ball and will wear adidas apparel and footwear per her new contract. The 20-year-old American turned pro in 2010 following a successful amateur career which included membership on the 2009 USA Junior Solheim Cup and 2010 USA Curtis Cup teams, made cuts at both the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Women’s Open Championship and managed a runner-up finish at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Recari, a 3-time winner on the LPGA Tour and member of the triumphant Solheim Cup Team Europe in 2013, will play TaylorMade metalwoods, hybrid, irons, wedges and putter and wear TaylorMade headwear as part of her contract extension with the brand. The 26-year-old Spaniard began playing golf at age 11, and similar to Korda, enjoyed a successful amateur career with wins at the 2004 Spanish Amateur Championship and the 2005 French Amateur Championship, while also representing Team Europe in the 2005 Junior Solheim Cup. She joined the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2005, playing through the 2009 season and qualified for the LPGA TOUR in 2009, where she’s played exclusively since 2010.

Kang, who first qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 14 and just recently joined the LPGA Tour in 2011, will play TaylorMade metalwoods, irons, wedges and putter in addition to an Adams Golf hybrid and wear adidas Golf footwear and apparel during competition. The 21-year-old American has an impressive list of accomplishments already to her credit. Kang won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2010 and competed in all four majors as an amateur in 2011, making the cut in three. She then won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2011, becoming the first player in 15 years to win consecutive titles.

“We are excited that these three proven professionals have decided to continue their relationships with TaylorMade-adidas Golf as members of our tour staff,” said Chuck Presto, Senior Vice President, Global Sports Marketing. “As a trio of the most promising young players in a sport gaining popularity on a global level, we’re proud to have them representing our brands and influencing the next generation of players.”

Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will be one of three Canadians teeing-it-up at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur (a.k.a The Sally) in Ormond Beach, Fla., from Jan. 15-18 at the Oceanside Country Club.

Henderson, 16, is a Team Canada member. She has kept up her strong play in the new year, winning the Junior Orange Bowl Championship by five strokes only 2 weeks ago. She returns to Florida riding that momentum into action Wednesday along with two other Canadians.

Henderson will be joined by Meredith Fairbairn of Orangeville, Ont., and Kimberly Risulmi of Lloydminster, Alta., in the deep international field of 74.

The 2013 champion was Kelly Shon, a Princeton student hailing from Port Washington, N.Y.

For opening round tee-times, click here. For live scoring of the 88^th annual Sally tournament, click here

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy celebrated his two wins of 2013 in Sydney – a victory in the Australian Open, engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Now he returns to golf in the place where his season first began to unravel.

McIlroy, as much as any other player, is eager for a new start.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that all the stuff going on off the golf course wasn’t a distraction and say that it didn’t affect me,” McIlroy said Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. “Of course it did. You’re thinking of other things when you really shouldn’t have to.”

He was under severe scrutiny for changing all his equipment at once under a lucrative deal with Nike. The first time played on the weekend was three months into the year at a tournament that had no cut. He walked off one course out of frustration. And he didn’t win until beating Adam Scott on the final hole of the Australian Open.

The upside for McIlroy?

If he’s going to have a year where most of the news is bad, better to get it out of the way when he’s 24.

“It’s great that I’ve went through it at this stage in my career and not 15 years down the line,” he said.

McIlroy was No. 1 in the world when he played Abu Dhabi last year, the start of the European Tour’s swing through the Persian Gulf. Now he’s No. 7, making him the third-ranked player in Abu Dhabi behind Henrik Stenson (No. 3) and Phil Mickelson (No. 5).

Mickelson is playing Abu Dhabi for the first time, and he showed up mostly excited about his new driver from Callaway. Mickelson struggled late last year to find the right driver, and now believes he has one that could lead to the best year of his life.

That season could be made with a sixth major, one in particular – the U.S. Open, the final piece of the career Grand Slam.

“Any major championship win would make the year special and memorable,” said Mickelson, who turns 44 this year. “And I do believe that I’ll win a U.S. Open. I don’t know if it will be at Pinehurst this year – very well could be, or in the future. But I play well in the tournament too often to not believe or be confident in my ability to close the tournament out. But any major championship would make 2014 a remarkable year.”

McIlroy already can claim a remarkable year based on the first day of the year. That’s when he was on a boat in the Sydney Harbor, dropped to a knee and proposed to Wozniacki, his girlfriend of more than two years. Oddly, that was one of the distractions a year ago. Irish papers had them splitting up at least twice.

The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland approached Wozniacki’s parents to ask their permission to marry her.

“I don’t think there can be a bigger decision you have to make than asking someone to marry you,” he said. “If anything, it will only help to have that stability and known everything in that regard in my life is set.

“So off the golf course, I’m in a great place and I am happy,” he said. “I’m feeling good about where I am mentally. I feel good with everything that’s going on off the golf course, and it’s hopefully shaping up to be a good year.’

HONOLULU – Brandt Snedeker is a walking billboard for his summer plans.

Proudly displayed on the front of his golf shirt is “Wyndham,” which happens to be the title sponsor for the PGA Tour event in Greensboro, N.C., not so conveniently positioned between the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

On the sleeve of his shirt is “RBC,” the title sponsor of the Canadian Open, where Snedeker is the defending champion. Golf’s third-oldest national championship also is in a tough spot on the schedule, held the week between the British Open and the Bridgestone Invitational. The latter is a World Golf Championship. And by the way, have you noticed the brand on Snedeker’s cap and golf bag? That’s right – Bridgestone.

When does he take a week off? Apparently, he doesn’t.

“I’m playing the rest of the year, if that’s what you mean,” he said when asked about all the logos. “It will be a long stretch. It will be nine in a row at the end of the year.”

With the Ryder Cup in Europe this year, the PGA Tour agreed to alter its schedule. The four FedEx Cup playoff events will be played over four straight weeks. That allows for one week off before players travel to Scotland for a week’s worth of dinners and three days of golf at the end.

Snedeker has the worst of it, though Zach Johnson is not far behind.

Johnson has no corporate connections with Canada or Greensboro, but his big stretch starts a week before the British Open. The John Deere Classic is like a fifth major to the normal guy from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Johnson can’t and won’t miss that one. He’d love to play Greensboro, where he tied for fifth last year. But even if he doesn’t play Canada or Greensboro, that’s eight big events in 10 weeks.

“I hope I can get in a position where I can take one off,” Johnson said. “It worked for me last year. I had no choice, but it was fine.”

Johnson’s brother got married the week of The Barclays, so he got a late start on the playoffs. No matter. Johnson won the BMW Championship and was among the five players who had a direct shot at the $10 million bonus.

But he made it clear that he would skip one playoff event if he could.

Some guys might not be in a position to take time off. Qualifying for the nine automatic Ryder Cup spots ends at the PGA Championship, and the three captain’s picks are a few after that, which is known as “audition time.” Others could find themselves in a spot of trying to get to East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale.

“I think guys will skip for sure,” Snedeker said. “Everyone is going to take a hard look at the schedule. It will be interesting to see what guys do. I’m taking a little more time off in the middle of the year. We did it last year and it worked well. Just take a couple of three-week breaks.”

That’s why no one should be alarmed to see Matt Kuchar taking a month off early in the year, or Adam Scott headed for a six-week hiatus from tournament golf. Tiger Woods has been playing one of the shortest schedules of any top star. He’s good enough he can do that.

Graeme McDowell has never been in contention at the Bridgestone Invitational. He has finished out of the top 20 all but one time. He’s giving serious thought to taking that week off – depending on his Ryder Cup status – to be fresh for the PGA’s Tour grueling finishing kick.

“They key for me next year is to have something in the tank,” he said. “That’s my goal, to be ready for that stretch.”

The Ryder Cup is the reason for cramming so many big tournaments into such a small space.

The last time the Ryder Cup was in Europe, the PGA Tour held three straight playoff events, took a week off, and then played the Tour Championship and Ryder Cup in successive weeks. The schedule didn’t hurt the Americans as much as McDowell did that week in Wales.

The PGA of America is worried that the Americans are out of gas when they get to the Ryder Cup? It should be thankful for the FedEx Cup. It’s no coincidence that the matches started getting close again after the FedEx Cup began in 2007. Four big events after the majors have kept these guys sharp more than it has worn them out.

Now, it appears that something will have to give.

If players aren’t skipping a playoff event of a World Golf Championship, they’ll cut back at some other point in the schedule.

“There’s no point in getting to July and feeling you don’t want to play golf, because the biggest golf is yet to be played in the two months after that,” Scott said. “You’ve got to be champing at the bit after the PGA. Those are four big weeks, and they’re really important. That’s why I don’t come jumping out of the gate.”

The last time Scott played four weeks in a row?

“November,” he said with a grin. He won the Australian PGA, the Australian Masters and the World Cup team title, and was runner-up at the Australian Open.

No one will be playing more than Snedeker, and he doesn’t sound too worried about it. Nor should he, if recent history means anything.

Remember, it was only two years ago when Snedeker played eight straight weeks from the British Open through the BMW Championship. The tour had an off week, and then he won the Tour Championship (and FedEx Cup) and the Ryder Cup.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Snedeker said.

The world’s top-ranked amateur golfer, Matthew Fitzpatrick, widely regarded as British golf’s hottest prospect, has quit university in the United States to pursue his career back in his native England.

The 19-year-old Fitzpatrick followed the path taken by compatriot Luke Donald by joining Northwestern University in Chicago last year, after a successful summer in which he won the U.S. Amateur and the silver medal in the British Open for being the top amateur.

In a statement released by Northwestern, Fitzpatrick says he has opted to “dedicate 100 per cent of my time to the game and have decided to withdraw from university in the U.S.”

England Golf said on Tuesday that Fitzpatrick’s plans “are to remain as an amateur golfer for the foreseeable future,” rather than turn professional.

Fitzpatrick has qualified to play in this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and the British Open.

Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru is celebrating 10 years of increasing ladies participation in golf while raising funds for breast cancer research and support programs in Canada.  With the completion of the 2013 season, Golf Canada is proud to announce that Golf Fore the Cure has raised over $5.1 million towards ending the fight against breast cancer.

“It is extremely satisfying to see the success of this program considering in year one we had under 30 sites participating” explained Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The growth has been outstanding and all the women who have participated and contributed to the success should feel very proud”.

Throughout the program’s 10 years, Golf Fore the Cure has donated its fundraising sum to the Canadian Cancer Society as well as the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We are absolutely delighted to partner with Golf Canada on Golf Fore the Cure. This wonderful event brings together so many passionate women to relax playing golf while at the same time raising significant funds which have such a tremendous impact against breast cancer” says Pamela Fralick, President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who takes part in Golf Fore the Cure”.

The support from partners continues to fuel the program towards its goal of growing participation and fighting breast cancer. Subaru Canada, presenting partner for the past seven years, has been a primary reason for the success of Golf Fore the Cure by providing the backing and support needed to grow the program.

Over 100,000 individuals have participated in a Golf Fore the Cure event across the country in the past 10 years. Their efforts, along with the contributions from each donor are also to thank for the continued success and growth of the program.

Lastly, the commitment of Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru ambassadors Celine Dion, Stephanie Sherlock, Alena Sharp, Trish Stratus and Evanka Osmak has been a major source of support and recognition for the program and its cause.

Registration opens to the public, free of charge, on Feb. 1^st.

To become involved with Golf Fore the Cure, visit the website

To little surprise, Callaway Golf has announced they signed 16-year-old golf phenom and two-time Canadian Women’s Open champion, Lydia Ko, to an endorsement deal. Ko will play Callaway clubs and an Odyssey putter.

Speculation about Ko signing with Callaway began in late November, shortly after she announced she was turning pro on YouTube. Ko tweeted that she met her “idol” Phil Mickelson at the Callaway fitting center.

Omg i met my favourite player Phil Mickelson at the Callaway fitting centre! I was so nervous! #myidol

— Lydia Ko (@Lko424) November 12, 2013

This is the proof 🙂 pic.twitter.com/pSXT01IK4e

— Lydia Ko (@Lko424) November 12, 2013

From Callaway’s press release.

“Lydia is an exceptional talent and a great addition to our staff,” said Nick Raffaele, vice president of Sports Marketing for Callaway. “Last year we had several Pros win after successfully transitioning into our products and we’re excited to see what Lydia can accomplish on the LPGA with the world’s best clubs, balls and putter in the bag.”

In addition to Ko, Callaway also signed Yani Tseng – the youngest player, male or female, to win five major championships – who spent 109 weeks of her career as the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

With 15 career LPGA Tour wins to her name and an appearance on TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” list in 2012, Tseng is one of the most recognizable players in LPGA Tour history.

Callaway posted the following video to it’s corporate blog.

HONOLULU – As badly as Adam Scott needs to get away from golf, he was in no rush to leave paradise.

Not long after the Masters champion wrapped up his final round at the Sony Open just 10 minutes away from the shores of Waikiki Beach, he was headed to the Big Island with surf champion Kelly Slater and his crew to take in some surf, sun and maybe even a little golf.

No doubt, Scott is on a wave he wishes could last the rest of his career.

But it’s time to take a break, and he can feel it. Whether he goes home to Australia or to the Bahamas, the switch will be turned off. He won’t return to competition for six weeks at the Honda Classic.

“There’s heaps of work to do, but there’s got to be a break somewhere,” Scott said. “I could keep playing. I feel like I’m playing well. But you can’t continue to perform at the level you want if you play all the time. I’m forcing myself to take a break, and I can see it’s coming. My brain didn’t completely switch on these two weeks.”

The rest of his game appeared to be in order.

A pair of par 5s on two islands kept him from serious contention. At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, it was a long iron he smothered into a hazard on the 15th hole in the third round that turned a sure birdie into a bogey. At the Sony Open, he had 155 yards for his second shot to the par-5 ninth in the third round and made par. Both killed his momentum.

He still had a pair of top 10s in Hawaii.

The six-week break is the longest he has had away from competition since the start of last year. That worked out just fine. Scott had the moment of a lifetime when he won the Masters for his first major, even more meaningful because it was the first green jacket for an Australian. He won a FedEx Cup playoff event. Finally going home for a celebration, he gave the Aussies more reason to cheer when he won twice, was runner-up and won the World Cup team title with Jason Day.

Try finding an encore for that.

“It might be some of the best golf I’ve ever played over the in 12 months,” Scott said. “To walk away and trust it will be there when I come back … I think I’ve done enough work over the last year or two to leave it for a few weeks.”

The break will last only a few weeks and will include plenty of golf, except that he won’t care. Scott’s friends love to play golf when he’s around, and that’s what he’ll do.

Scott said he will switch back on about three or four weeks before the Honda Classic.

He doesn’t play a lot of tournament golf, which is not to suggest he’s idle. The hard work takes place in the Bahamas. Scott is all about the big picture now. Yes, that means the majors. More than that, it’s all about the process.

One of the most amazing chapters in his career is how he bounced back from a collapse at Royal Lytham & St. Annes _ a four-shot lead with four holes to play in the 2012 British Open, only to make four straight bogeys and lose to Ernie Els. Scott might have been the only one who saw that day as a breakthrough. He played the best golf for 68 holes. He knew, finally, he had the game to win a major.

And then he did.

What’s interesting is to hear him say his confidence was just as high toward the end of 2012 (the year he blew a major) as it was at the end of 2013 (the year he became a major champion).

“Lytham was that turning point where the confidence grew from the experience and performance in a major, and I think it’s been pretty much the same ever since,” he said. “It all accumulates a bit. But that was a real spike in confidence in 2012.”

It was watching a replay of the Masters that reminded him of the real source of satisfaction.

Scott first watched highlights about 10 days after the Masters. He mostly saw the 20-foot putt he made on the 18th green, and the 10-footer on the second playoff hole that made him a major champion.

“What I experienced looking back is that elation of achievement is so short-lived,” he said. “But it’s longer if you enjoy the whole process. That moment of sheer joy is very short. It didn’t carry on for days and days. It’s numbed by formalities and all those other things. You’ve got to enjoy getting there as much as what happened. It was only a few hours, and then Hilton Head started, and there’s another tournament. The Masters is in the past and you’re looking forward.

“It’s incredible that a lifelong dream can be achieved, and it’s so short.”

The encore doesn’t start at the Honda Classic or the other two events he plays in the Florida swing, but when he gets back to the Bahamas and switches back on.

“You know when you’re ready to get back into it because you’re willing to put in the hours, and it’s not effort,” he said.

As for the performance? Can he do anything to top the last 12 months, especially that one glorious Sunday in April?

Probably not. And that’s OK with him.

“It will be the biggest of my career,” Scott said. “I don’t know how anything could surpass that as a big moment. But it will be a lot of fun to try. Maybe winning the Slam, all four in a career. Hopefully, it’s not all downhill.”

Right now, it’s as open as the Pacific horizon.