Hitting the Century Mark: Scott Playing in 100th Consecutive Major

Sports fans love to talk and debate streaks.

Like what’s more impressive, the 56-game hitting streak by Joe DiMaggio or the 2,632 consecutive games played by Cal Ripken Jr.? In college basketball, UCLA won 88 straight, while the University of Connecticut women didn’t lose over 111 games.

Golf isn’t devoid of such trivialities. Byron Nelson claimed 11 straight tournaments in 1945, and Tiger Woods spent an unfathomable 262 weeks atop the Official World Golf Ranking. He also made 142 consecutive cuts.

Adam Scott will also set a mark at this week’s 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Little did he know when he teed it up in the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, that 25 years later, he would be competing in his 100th consecutive major championship.

Only one other player in golf history has reached triple digits and that’s 18-time major champ Jack Nicklaus (146). Angela Stanford came close on the women’s side, but her skein stopped at 98 when she failed to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club.

For Scott, there were several close calls along his journey. In the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, he played through a broken hand after getting it slammed in a car door. Ten years later, the affable Australian fell outside the top 60 in the OWGR for automatic qualification, but he survived 36-hole qualifying in Springfield, Ohio, to earn a tee time at Shinnecock Hills.

Then in 2024, the streak found itself in major jeopardy when he was No. 61 in the OWGR and lost a playoff at final qualifying in Columbus, Ohio. In the days leading up to the championship, however, the tragic death of Grayson Murray altered the exemption landscape. With Murray removed from the OWGR list used for qualification, Scott moved from No. 61 to No. 60 and secured a place at Pinehurst No. 2.

“I found it difficult at first reflecting on something while I'm still playing,” said Scott, the 2013 Masters champion. “I think I've never really been one to dwell on milestones. I think it's something I'll probably do at the end of my career.

“However, it's resonated a little bit more with me the last few days, and from people close to me, to my sponsors and partners, I'm so appreciative of everyone recognizing this. It's a strange one because it's not something you really set out to do or aim for.

“But in all honesty, since Pinehurst a couple years ago, it kind of was on my radar. Earlier this year, as I wasn't automatically qualified for this event, it became a bit of a weight on my shoulders making sure I got here.”

Scott’s win at Augusta gets him a lifetime invitation to the Masters. The PGA Championship goes deeper into the OWGR, so he’s generally safe there. The U.S. Open becomes a bit trickier as only the top 60 in the ranking at two cutoffs gain entry. He enters this week’s championship at No. 49.

Another Scott footnote: He’s one of only two players (Justin Rose) in the field to have teed it up in 2004 and 2018 at Shinnecock Hills -- both Rose and Scott will turn 46 next month. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, the oldest player in this year’s field who is exempt based on his 2025 U.S. Senior Open victory, missed the 2018 championship.

Scott has missed the cut in both U.S. Opens at Shinnecock. His best finish in 24 starts is a share of fourth in 2015 at Chambers Bay.

“I had a photograph with Jack Nicklaus a couple of weeks ago at his Memorial Tournament, and he's the other guy who made it to a hundred in a row,” said Scott, who is playing his 25th consecutive U.S. Open. “He, in fact, made it way past that, and I can't even think about playing another 11 or 12 years straight of these, but I'm really excited for this week.

“I love Shinnecock. I've played here a fair amount socially over the years. This is my third U.S. Open here. I haven't played well in either U.S. Open, which is really disappointing to me, but hoping to change that this week. I still love the golf course. I think it's as good as any test we have at the U.S. Open.”

During his pre-championship press conference, Scott was asked what factors have fueled his longevity, especially as he approaches 50.

“I would say probably overall a certain level of focus has been required over the 25 years to maintain golf at this elite level, major-championship level,” he said. “It has taken a lot of focus to do that.”

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.