For Adam Scott, the venue for the Cadillac Championship, the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral, has special memories.
That’s because the Australian claimed victory at the layout a decade ago when he beat Bubba Watson in another event, the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
However, it didn’t take long in the opening round of his return for Scott to experience a less welcome moment when he was assessed a two-stroke penalty at the par-5 eighth.
The incident occurred after his tee shot strayed left into the rough, but he then discovered that his second shot had been with the wrong ball.
Scott then found his original ball and continued with it but, by that stage, the damage had been done.
That's not the right ball 😬 A nightmare at No. 8 for Adam Scott as he plays the wrong ball @Cadillac_Champ. 📺 PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/fHcn1sivd6April 30, 2026
Per Rule 6.3(c), playing the wrong ball results in the player receiving “the general penalty (two penalty strokes)."
It adds that the player “must correct the mistake by continuing play with the original ball by playing it as it lies or taking relief under the Rules.”
After finding the correct ball, Scott found the right rough with his next shot, his fourth, before going on to make a costly double bogey, which left him on two-over.
Scott then proceeded to make eight consecutive pars before a disappointing end to his round, with bogeys at the 17th and 18th to card a four-over 76.
Scott didn’t speak to the media following his opening round, but ahead of the tournament, he discussed how he manages to remain competitive at the age of 45.
He said: “I still feel like I can play at a high level, but I'm looking to lift the ceiling a little bit and get in there and win again, maybe the good vibes here from 10 years ago will help me this week.”
Sadly for Scott, partly because of the penalty, that doesn’t look like coming to pass this year.
While the second round went considerably better for Scott, with a one-under 71 at the no-cut event, even at the halfway stage, his chances of another victory at the Blue Monster seemed forlorn, languishing 15 behind leader Cameron Young with 36 holes to play.
