U.S. Open: Trio of golf stars make classy gesture to Adam Scott ahead of major milestone

Jordan Spieth, Alex Noren and Nicolai Hojgaard demonstrated game respects game ahead of Adam Scott's 100th consecutive appearance in a major at the 2026 U.S. Open. 

Former Masters champion Scott, 45, is set to make the landmark appearance at Shinnecock Hills. 

The extraordinary streak began way back at the 2001 Open held at Royal Lytham & St Annes. 

Spieth, Hojgaard and Noren were spotted as keen observers at the back of the media centre as Scott spoke to reporters about his landmark accomplishment.. 

As for the man himself, he qualified for the 126h edition of the major courtesy of his fourth place finish at the Cadillac Championship in April. 

It saw Scott earn his tee time in New York by sitting inside the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking. 

He told reporters that he didn't even think about asking the United States Golf Association for a special exemption if he didn't qualify on merit. 

Asked for the secret behind his longevity, Scott said: “I would say probably a certain level of focus has been required over the 25 years to maintain, I'll call it golf at this elite level, major championship level. 

"It has taken a lot of focus to do that.

"I think there are lots of little things you could break down after that, but I'm quite proud that I've managed to keep my focus this long and keep pushing through.

"Obviously, not all years and all weeks out here are easy, and you're playing full of confidence, manage to keep it all together for a long time."

Scott will play the first two rounds of the major alongside America's Harris English and Canada's Nick Taylor. 

"I don't know if my younger self thought I'd still be playing actually at this point," he added.. 

"But I love playing golf at this level, and it's really all I know how to do. So I'm going to keep trying to do my best for as long as I possibly can."

The last time the U.S. Open was staged at Shinnecock Hills tournament organisers faced heavy criticism. 

Some players in the field accused the USGA of 'losing the golf course' amid farcical scenes that even saw Phil Mickelson hit a moving ball on the green. 

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick, also a former U.S. Open champion, disagreed with that notion.

Scott offered a diplomatic response when asked if he had any concerns about the setup this week. 

"I don't know whether it was a concern with the winning score or par was the goal, but a little bit what I talked about before, to achieve that at some courses, if that was the goal, you're on a knife's edge. 

"So if the weather turned, which is very hard to predict, it becomes unplayable in certain spots.

"I think we've seen the setups get away from that more recently. I'm really not concerned. 

"I feel like we went to maybe the hardest venue last year at Oakmont, and it is incredibly difficult, but I thought the setup was correct."

He added: "Then this setup seems not contrived at all. I mean, the rough is thick. I don't know if it's thicker than the members play. 

"I hope it is because that would be tough for the members.

"But it seems like we're just coming in, they've grown the rough a little bit, and we're heading out to play. 

"The greens are fairly ... it looks like they're being cautious at the moment. They know the wind is going to be a factor this week.

"Hopefully we can get the greens to firm up over the weekend, and we'll see some of the greatness of Shinnecock where the shots in are so important to hit these small areas, and then you'll get a great champion."

Keep checking GolfMagic for regular updates of the 2026 U.S. Open.