Golfer Adam Scott's collapse during the final holes of the British Open could “cost him a small fortune in sponsorship arrangements,” according to Tom Cowie of Australian e-magazine CRIKEY. Scott, an Australian native, bogeyed the last four holes of the tournament to lose to Ernie Els by one stroke, and sports marketing experts said that his breakdown "could set Scott back at least [AUD] $2 million in endorsements.” Twenty3 Sports & Entertainment CEO John Tripodi indicated that it "will hurt Scott's image if he inherits the choker tag from his hero” Greg Norman, who “infamously coughed up a six-stroke lead to Nick Faldo on the final day of the US Masters in 1996.” Tripodi said, "If you look at Greg Norman, he went through his entire career with that stigma of being a bit of a choker. So it's whether he (Scott) can regroup and have a series of wins from this type of situation. Because if he doesn't have another big win, and he's certainly got plenty left in the tank, he'll be remembered for this one event." Cowie noted as one of the “few Australian athletes playing a sport that reaches into the US and Europe,” Scott has the potential "to attract a series of big sponsors.” Conversely, that “also means a big loss has the potential to reverberate much further.” Deakin Univ. Sports Management professor David Shilbury said, “He's still a world-class golfer and he's still commercially well off. But if the trend continues to be, let's put this way, Norman-like, then he's not going to be remembered as one of the greats. And that will affect his commercial standing" (CRIKEY.com.au, 7/23).
