As hard as it may be to believe, it's been more than 12 years since Adam Scott won the lone major championship of his illustrious career, taking the title at the 2013 Masters in dramatic fashion, rolling in a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation before defeating Ángel Cabrera on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Since then, the Aussie has given himself several chances to add a second major to his resume, posting 11 top-10 finishes, but just hasn't been able to seal the deal.
Set to turn 45 on July 16, Scott has once again put himself in contention at the U.S. Open, shooting 70-70-67 over the first 54 holes at Oakmont Country Club, making him the only player in the field to post par or better in each of the first three rounds.
Sitting at 3-under for the championship, Scott enters the final round just one shot back of leader Sam Burns. And while a victory at Oakmont wouldn't make him the oldest U.S. Open winner of all time, as Hale Irwin was 45 years and 15 days old when he won the 1990 edition at Medinah, Scott can still set a new record for the longest gap in between a player's first major championship win and his second.
Ben Crenshaw was just short of 11 years between his two major victories, winning The Masters for the first time on April 15, 1984 and a second time on April 9, 1995.
And three-time major champ Julius Boros exceeded the 11-year mark, winning his first at the U.S. Open on June 14, 1952, and his second at the U.S. Open on June 23, 1963. He later added his third at the 1968 PGA Championship.
As mentioned, it's been more than 12 years since Scott won his Masters, which concluded on April 14, 2013. So, he'd obviously break Boros' mark by more than a year with a victory on Sunday.
And Scott is completely aware that this may be one of his last chances to add a second major to his already impressive resume. Following his second-round 70 on Friday, he was asked how he views his "major championship window" at this point in his career. And with a smile, he responded, "Ajar."
But more seriously—well, at least as serious as the nicest guy in golf can be—the 14-time PGA Tour winner made no secret of his desire to finish the job at Oakmont.
"I’ve put together a nice career, but I think another major would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it’s all said and done,” Scott said. "This is all I’m really playing for, are these big events."