Adam Scott reveals who he thinks could be the International Team's secret weapon at the Presidents Cup, and it's not who you might expect

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In 1983, Australia surprised the sailing world, winning the then Americas Cup using a racing sailboard with a secret “winged keel.” As a sports buff and proud Australian, Adam Scott knows all about one of the greatest upsets and triumphs in sport. Having played in every Presidents Cup since 2003’s infamous tie in South Africa without tasting sweet victory in the biennial competition between the U.S. and the International Team, Scott is anxious for the tide to turn and the International Team to celebrate its own version of an America’s Cup upset. Entering next week’s competition in Montreal as heavy underdogs again, Scott was asked if his side has a winged keel equivalent this year, and if so, what could it be?

“Won’t be much of a secret if I put it out there first,” Scott said in a phone interview with Golfweek ahead of competing in this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England.

But he couldn’t resist answering the question and his response was telling of where the 44-year-old Scott’s head is entering a competition that has been a form of unrequited love.

“I’ll go out and say, you know, Min Woo Lee could be it, and Adam Scott could be it too,” said Scott.

Lee, a 26-year-old Presidents Cup rookie, should be a crowd favorite with his length of the tee and youthful exuberance. But Scott is saying don’t sleep on him and in a subtle way he was sending out a message to his teammates that they should get on his back this time and let him take the International side to the promised land. That’s the type of confidence you want to see from your past Masters champion, former world No. 1 and veteran team leader.

Scott, who has an 18-25-6 lifetime record in 10 Cups, then gave a refreshingly honest and thorough assessment of his role in the International Team’s failure to win during his tenure.

“If I rate my own performance the last five cups or so, I’d say I underperformed. And if I was being tough on Adam Scott, I’d say you better perform this time or don’t bother about trying to play another Presidents Cup,” Scott said.

When asked to name the toughest loss in the Presidents Cup, Scott picked the 2019 Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia, where the U.S. rallied on Sunday for a 16-14 victory.

“That was a harsh one,” he said. “The momentum was on our side all week, and really getting flipped upside down on Sunday. But personally, I didn’t play great against Xander (Schauffele). He got up on me early and I started feeling the pressure a little bit, and he never let up. I got so far down that I couldn’t come back. I knew every match was getting important as I played throughout the round, and I felt like I’d let the side down. That one slipped through our fingers. It was months and months and months of trying to figure out how it slipped away because it felt like that was going to be our time. It would have been an epic victory to win there. It’s something that I’m still looking for in my career.”

That long-awaited win against the American side could happen, especially if Scott turns out to be his team’s secret weapon.