It turns out that short is pretty sweet for Adam Scott

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

IT IS hardly surprising that there has been an obsession with the early-season struggles of Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy.

They are, after all, at the peak of the world rankings and are immensely talented players, so it has come as a surprise that Spieth has looked utterly ordinary on the greens, the very area that set him apart from his rivals last year. And jaws dropped when McIlroy turned up at the Blue Monster course at Doral using a left-hand-below-right putting grip.

McIlroy is a streaky golfer - he always has been and it is highly likely that he always will be. He usually strikes the ball superbly, but his putting sometimes makes us want to watch him with our hands over our eyes. We shouldn't worry about McIlroy or Spieth - they will both find a way to make it right.

What we should be focusing on is the sensational return to form of Adam Scott. You will remember that Scott, along with the likes of Tim Clark, Martin Laird, Webb Simpson, Kevin Stadler and Keegan Bradley spent much of 2015 whingeing about the upcoming ban on anchored putting.

Well, that ban came into effect on January 1. Bradley is still whingeing. Scott, meanwhile, chose to knuckle down and get on with it. He won The Masters using the broomhandle putter. He convinced himself that it made him a better putter, but that is highly debatable for he still missed more than his fair share of short putts - VERY short putts.

He attempted to use a short putter at several tournaments in 2015 but quickly resorted to the broomhandle monstrosity. He didn't realise it, but it was a mental crutch.

The proof of the pudding is in the start he has made to 2016. In three PGA Tour starts, he has finished runner-up and won twice. His ability to drive the ball well (and far) was never in doubt, neither was his skill with irons in his hands. And notwithstanding the bunker shot that he shanked during the final round of the WGC Cadillac Championship, he is one of the best around the greens.

But what would happen when he had to use a normal-length putter, with no option of going back to the broomhandle? Scott started holing a few putts and, surprise, surprise, his confidence began to grow, and has continued to do so. He will still miss short putts - everybody does. But he has now proved to himself that his travails were largely in the mind.

Bradley, Simpson, Laird et al should look long and hard at Scott and what he has achieved and stop whining. Clear your minds guys and learn to love your putter again. Head still, straight back, straight through! Get out on the putting green and repeat it until it becomes natural.

I hated watching Scott winning The Masters while brandishing the broomhandle putter. Now, I would love to see him repeat the feat with a 36-inch putter - and I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if he does. Or if he reclaims the World No1 spot in the rankings.