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Louiseville - Adam Scott, dethroned from the world number one ranking by Rory McIlroy entering this week's PGA Championship, is confident he can beat him at Valhalla and reclaim the top spot.
The 34-year-old Australian, who won his first major title at last year's Masters, dropped to second after McIlroy followed up his British Open victory last month by winning the World Golf Championships event Sunday.
"It's only motivating to see Rory play so well," Scott said Tuesday. "I've said a lot that I feel this is my time so I've got to beat whatever Rory is throwing out there and I believe I can."
Scott became the first Aussie to win the Masters, defeating Argentina's Angel Cabrera in a playoff last year.
Scott won in May at Colonial in his first event as the world number one and has had four top-10 finishes since, including joint fifth at the British Open and ninth at the US Open.
Where he once might have been satisfied with such an effort, Scott says the stakes have been raised now to the point where winning is all important.
"It's tough but at some point, you have to look for wins and that's only what is going to satisfy me," Scott said.
"I've had lots of good finishes in majors... but I still didn't get to lift the trophy and that's at the end of the day why I'm working hard and putting in so much. I'd like to get the result."
After missing chances for months before finally moving past the injured Tiger Woods into the top spot, Scott was not disheartened at being overtaken by McIlroy.
"It's not extremely disappointing," Scott said.
"I think the right guy is at number one at the moment. He has played the best over the last couple of months.
"My consistent play is good but you want the rankings to work and favor guys that win big events like that.
"I hope I could go ahead and win this week and maybe go back to number one, but there's no doubt Rory has played the best golf over the last few months."
After near misses, Scott is ready to hoist another major trophy.
"To do that would keep some great momentum going in the great scheme of things," Scott said. "I would have won two majors in the last two years. It does have a nice ring to it, I must admit and can really propel me into next year."
Scott could have been going for a third major in three years had he not squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play at the 2012 British Open, ending on four bogeys in a row to lose to Ernie Els.
"Of course there was enormous disappointment, but I was just so happy to play so well finally at one of the big events," Scott said. "I felt I had that in me and had been waiting 12 years to do it and I think that eased some of the pain of the actual outcome."
It comes down to belief, something in short supply during Woods' decade of dominance from his first major win in 1997 to his most recent in 2008.
"The biggest difference between me seeing Tiger play like that when I was a lot younger, less experienced and seeing a guy like Rory really stamp his authority down the last two weeks... is that I believe I'm a better player and I can play at that level," Scott said.
"Ten or 15 years ago I didn't have that belief. I think the biggest thing that held me back was not believing. Probably most guys felt like we were beaten before we got out there and that's different now for tons of reasons."
