One of four Australians in the field, Adam Scott is using the WGC Match Play event in Texas as a tune-up for next month's Masters.
Two weeks out from his latest Masters tilt, Adam Scott hopes to rediscover that winning feeling at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event in Austin, Texas.
Scott hasn't tasted success since claiming his 14th PGA Tour victory at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles in February, 2020.
But believing his game's in good order, Scott senses a golden opportunity to further build confidence with a minimum of three matches this week before returning to Augusta National for the season's first major starting on April 7.
The 64-man field at Austin Country Club has been split into 16 groups of four, with only the group winners advancing to the knockout stages.
Scott has landed in Group 11 with American stars Jordan Spieth and Keegan Bradley and Englishman Justin Rose.
"Well, they're all tough matches, all major champions. Even if they weren't, there aren't easy groups here and I expect every match to be very difficult," said the former world No.1.
"It's not a regular event, and you get the opportunity to kind of get a result every day.
"Even if you don't win the tournament, you might win three or four or five matches this week and winning seems fun."
Champion at Augusta in 2013, Scott is making no secret that he has one eye on the match play event and the other on another green jacket.
"That's the plan from January," he said.
"We all know the Masters is just a couple weeks away and this is definitely a tune-up for that."
The 41-year-old is making his 15th appearance in the event and his first since 2016.
Three other Australians are in of field: Marc Leishman and debutants Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee, all of whom are also heading to Augusta.
Lee is in Group 12 with defending champion Billy Horschel, fellow American Tom Hoge and Belgian bomber Thomas Pieters.
"I knew coming into this week it was going to be tough no matter who you got drawn with," Lee said.
"But hopefully I play good golf when I need to and, yeah, hopefully a good result.
"It's amazing, really cool to be on the range and be on the course with all the top players in the world. I'm excited to play this week. No expectations."
Leishman is in Group 6 with American trio Justin Thomas, Kevin Kisner and Luke List.
Lucas Herbert is in Group 7 alongside US pair Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau and Japan's Takumi Kanaya.
Scott opens against Rose on Thursday AEDT, Leishman plays Kisner, Herbert faces Finau and Lee takes on Horschel.
Jon Rahm is the event's top seed but the Spaniard's world No.1 ranking is again under threat following 15 tournaments without a win.
GROUPS FOR WGC MATCH PLAY IN TEXAS (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING, PLAYERS US UNLESS STATED)
Group 1: 1-Jon Rahm (ESP), Patrick Reed, Cameron Young, Sebastian Munoz (COL)
Group 2: 2-Collin Morikawa, Jason Kokrak, Sergio Garcia (ESP), Robert MacIntyre
Group 3: 3-Viktor Hovland (NOR), Will Zalatoris, Cameron Tringale, Sepp Straka (SVK)
Group 4: 4-Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im (KOR), Seamus Power (IRE), Keith Mitchell
Group 5: 5-Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Ian Poulter (ENG)
Group 6: 6-Justin Thomas, Kevin Kisner, Marc Leishman (AUS), Luke List
Group 7: 7-Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Lucas Herbert (AUS), Takumi Kanaya (JPN)
Group 8: 8-Dustin Johnson, Max Homa, Matthew Wolff, Mackenzie Hughes
Group 9: Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Lee Westwood (ENG), Richard Bland (ENG)
Group 10: 10-Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Paul Casey (ENG), Corey Conners (CAN), Alex Noren (SWE)
Group 11: 11-Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott (AUS), Justin Rose (ENG), Keegan Bradley
Group 12: 12-Billy Horschel, Thomas Pieters (BEL), Tom Hoge, Min Woo Lee (AUS)
Group 13: 13-Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Daniel Berger, Si Woo Kim (KOR), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA)
Group 14: 14-Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Kevin Na, Russell Henley, Maverick McNealy
Group 15: 15-Abraham Ancer (MEX),Webb Simpson, Brian Harman, Bubba Watson
Group 16: 16-Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry (IRE), Harold Varner III, Erik van Rooyen (RSA)
