Scott looking to beat Masters gauntlet Adam Scott has pinpointed the opening seven holes of the Masters as a key to potential victory. Scott opened the 2012 Masters with four bogeys over the opening seven to be behind the eight ball from the outset, eventually carding a three-over 75 to be tied 64th. The 32-year-old closed strongly, including a final round 66, to push into a tie for eighth, but knows he'll have to survive the early gauntlet if he is to truly contend for his first major. "Those six or seven holes are probably the most difficult to play on this golf course starting out on Thursday with the nerves on the first tee, and then getting yourself to calm down, and they are very demanding holes," Scott said. I think the most difficult hole out here is the first hole. I think it demands a lot out of the drive and quite a long second shot up the hill to a very severe green, and I think when you're just trying to gather your thoughts and get composed out there, it asks a lot out of you. So getting off to a solid first seven holes is very important. If you can just play your way through there, then you set yourself up for some good opportunities on this golf course. A hot start would be great, but I would be happy with just a solid start. Being ready from the opening tee shot has been a big focus of Scott's recent major campaigns after a similar slow start at the 2012 US Open where he was six-over and tied 93rd after day one and recovered to a tie for 15th. Following on from there, he started the British Open with a 64 and the PGA Championship with a 68. "After the US Open, I really changed my mindset to start The Open Championship on the front foot and switch on from the first hole, and not have a couple of early bogeys end your momentum or stop you from playing as well as you can, because they are hard to recover from in majors," he said. The confidence can take a little hit and you can doubt yourself and then you're exposed on these tough courses. Certainly that mindset I took in The Open and the PGA Championship is what I'm looking for and just not go out on the back foot.