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Gullane - There was no escaping the bitter Ashes rivalry for Australia's top golfer Adam Scott on Wednesday and he admitted to keeping a low profile up at Muirfield as he prepared for the British Open.
"It's a tough time being an Aussie over here at the moment, to be honest with you. I move around very quietly around town," the 33-year-old from Adelaide said to laughs at a press conference dominated by British journalists.
Australia lost the first Test at Trent Bridge on Sunday in dramatic fashion as one of sport's oldest rivalries was enjoined with all its traditional spite and controversy.
Asked if he would like to win the Open so he could strike right back at British hearts after his cricketers lost by just 14 runs, Scott replied: "Absolutely, I'd love to get in here this week and maybe spur our cricket team along to levelling the Test series."
Scott said he had watched Sunday's run chase unfold, describing the nail-biting finale as "incredible."
The unexpected star of the Australian performance, 19-year-old Ashton Agar, who rewrote the record books by making 98 on his Test debut batting at number 11, has been nicknamed "Scotty" by his teammates because he looks like the golfer.
"Yeah, everyone has been telling me. I think it's great," Scott said at Muirfield. "Obviously he's got what it takes. Hopefully he's the spark on our team going forward, for this summer and beyond."
The second Test begins at Lord's on Thursday, hours before Scott, the US Masters champion, embarks on his quest for a first Claret Jug.
Scott must banish memories of his capitulation at Royal Lytham a year ago when he bogeyed the last four holes to lose the Open by one stroke to South Africa's Ernie Els.
