The Australian world No2's Masters triumph and more consistent form presents a challenge for his American rival
So who is the golfer of the year? Any debate over that subject seemed futile before the US PGA Championship, with Tiger Woods holding five tournament wins and apparently in fine shape to finally add a 15th major to his roll of honour.
Woods's troubles at Oak Hill, added to Adam Scott's win at the Barclays Championship on Sunday, ensure there is now a legitimate discussion to be had over golf's man of 2013. As if to highlight the exact, fine margins on which golf evolves; Woods came within a whisker of joining Scott in a Sunday evening play-off at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey but was instead consigned to second best.
Albeit more than a decade after Scott was tipped to challenge Woods at the summit of world golf, the Australian can now lay claim to have been the more consistently impressive player of recent times. Those who may scoff at that suggestion against Woods's rise back to world No1 and tournament success rate should glance towards major championships, which are, after all, the most stern test of a golfer's talent. If recent majors are the barometer, Scott surely lies ahead of Woods.
Scott won the Masters as Woods finished in a tie for fourth; for all the world No1 bemoaned bad luck, having hit a flagstick during his second round, he was fortunate to remain in the event at all on account of a subsequently dubious drop.
Neither played competed meaningfully when the US Open took place at Merion but Scott was again prominent at the Open Championship, which he led after 12 final-round holes. Scott was to finish tied third and, while Woods again earned a top-10 position, he never threatened the leaders when it mattered most.
At Oak Hill, Woods cut a frustrated figure throughout. Scott tied fifth, Woods 40th. In summary, therefore, Scott could genuinely have clinched three major championships this year. Woods only fleetingly looked like he had the capability to win one.
"I felt like earlier in my career, I gave myself a lot more chances to win tournaments because I played a lot more and I seemed to win a couple tournaments every year, not on the PGA Tour but around the world," Scott explains.
"The last couple of years, my focus shifted a bit and I changed my schedule and played a lot less tournaments. So I think I've got less opportunity to win and focused on the bigger tournaments, which are not easy to win; not that any others are.
"And I have kind of developed my game into being more consistent, performing in the big ones and now trying to adapt that to be a winner on a more frequent basis is what I'm working towards, I guess."
Scott has played in 13 PGA Tour events this year, winning $4.6m and making every single cut. From the same number, Woods has claimed more than $8m, a figure that illustrates the value of victories. Phil Mickelson's $5.2m has arrived through 18 events, while Keegan Bradley has played 22, while accumulating $3.1m. On Monday morning, it was confirmed that Scott is now a career-high second in the world rankings.
Scott's success, of course, has come with Stevie Williams as his caddie. There are signs that Williams and Woods, who were such a combined force for so long but endured a troubled falling out thereafter, are back on amiable terms. Nonetheless, Scott is now the man benefitting from Williams's winning experience.
"He's the guy who can influence me out there, really," says Scott. "And everyone knows he's one of the best in the business. There's a reason why he's worked for so many great players over the years and he's been a great asset to me for sure.
"You know, it's like any relationship, you get to know each other better and better as time goes on, and I think this year we've certainly started understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses better, and had to handle certain situations. And when we are in contention, I know what his tendencies are and I think he knows what mine are, and we try and do the best we can with that. Hopefully we just work better and better together."
As Scott headed to New York to celebrate his Barclays win, intrigue surrounded when Woods will next play. The 37-year-old is suffering from back injury pain, as illustrated when he slumped to his knees after hitting a shot on the 13th on Sunday.
"It actually started the hole before, my little tee shot there started it and 13 just kind of accentuated it," Woods later revealed. He confirmed the problem as a spasm but would not do likewise over his appearance at this week's Deutsche Bank Championship. Notwithstanding the complexities of this FedEx play-off scoring process and his historic indifference towards it, the fact Woods leads the series means he could afford to sit out an event.
Woods has encountered, and generally dealt with, plenty of pretenders to his throne down the years. Albeit belatedly, Scott is the next one; and a player who will not want 2013 to end.
