Adam Scott is on the verge of a feat so rare only Jack Nicklaus has done it before

It’s a milestone so rare that only Jack Nicklaus has done it. But Adam Scott has a very real chance of joining the 18-time major champion in his one-man club…

Adam Scott can do what only one golfer has ever done in the history of the sport over the next 14 months. 

Not even Tiger Woods managed this during his career. In fact, he fell well short, with Jack Nicklaus the sole member of the club Scott will be hoping to join in 2026.

And that is the playing-in-100-majors-in-a-row club. (We’ll come up with a catchier title closer to the time.) Yes, it’s true, Nicklaus is the only golfer in history to have made 100 major starts in a row. Not only that, the OG GOAT went on to tee up in an incredible 146 straight majors between the 1962 Masters and and 1998 US Open.

Scott made his 95th consecutive appearance in one of golf’s marquee events at last week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, putting him tantalisingly close to the magic number.

It is, by some distance, the longest active streak of its kind and points to the remarkable longevity of the man, but could he fall just short of hitting his ton?

The 44-year-old is already exempt for the US Open and Open Championship this summer, which will take him onto 97, while he has a lifetime invite to Augusta National as the 2013 Masters champion.

Assuming he is fit to play, that will put him on 98, but his late double-bogey at Quail Hollow could yet prove costly.

By making a six on his 72nd hole in Charlotte, Scott fell outside the top 15 and therefore lost an automatic spot in next year’s PGA Championship.

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There is still time to make amends and qualify through other means but, as he will be all too aware, nothing is certain in this game. The most simple way, of course, would be for him to remain in the top 50 of the world rankings. At the time of writing, the former No.1 is sitting in 39th.

It would certainly be a shame to fall at the penultimate hurdle, but we have faith he will do what he needs to do to hit the mark.

After all, he wasn’t a million miles off challenging for the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening before a flurry of late dropped shots.

For reference, Woods’ best major streak was 46 in a row from the 1997 Masters up to and including the 2008 US Open, both of which he won before taking a break to recover from a broken leg.

Other notable runs include Tom Watson’s 87 in a row, as well as Sergio Garcia’s 86 that came to an end at the 2020 Masters.

Davis Love III’s game stood the test of time and allowed him to tee it up in 70 straight majors, while Vijay Singh (67), Nick Faldo (65) and Phil Mickelson (61) also displayed phenomenal consistency during their careers.

Should it happen, Scott will play his 100th major in a row at next year’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills, a fittingly iconic venue to mark such an achievement. 

More pressing in the meantime, however, will be Scott’s desire to get back to winning ways, having not captured a PGA Tour title since the Genesis Invitational in February 2020.

Adam Scott’s major streak

Here’s how Adam Scott has got to 95 consecutive major starts. (Remember, the PGA Championship was fourth on the calendar when he started out.)

By the way, if you’re wondering why Scott isn’t in the 100 major appearances club yet, that’s because this table represents almost all of his entire major career to date – with only his debut at the 2000 Open missing.