Adam Scott will attempt to win his third Australian Masters title in a row on yet another renowned Melbourne sand-belt course, and with a tryout caddie on his bag.Scott went close to winning Australian golfs so-called Triple Crown last year but Rory McIlroys birdie on the 18th hole at the Australian Open relegated Scott to second place at that tournament.On Thursday, Scott begins play at Metropolitan, which is hosting the Masters for the first time. Last year, Scott beat American Matt Kuchar by two strokes at Royal Melbourne, successfully defending the Australian Masters title he won at Kingston Heath in 2012.No. 2-ranked Scott, with U.S.-based Englishman David Clark as caddie, will then renew his rivalry with No. 1 McIlroy in the Australian Open next week at Sydney.Scott will also aim to defend his Australian PGA title next month at Royal Pines in Queensland state.I am very happy with where my game is coming in, Scott said Wednesday. I had a good summer here last year, so to keep that momentum would be great. Im hoping to make it three in a row.Scott said he always intended to play in Australias three biggest tournaments of the year. The only other event that attracts international players in Australia is the Perth International, a joint European Tour event which was held in October.If all I have to do to help the game in Australia is play these events, then it is a pretty easy role for me, he said.Others in the Australian Masters field include Americans Kyle Stanley and Boo Weekley. Weekley is also entered in next weeks Open at Sydney, joining Scott, McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at The Australian Golf Club. McIlroy won by a stroke last year at Royal Sydney.The Masters first appearance at Metropolitan, which hosted the world match play in 2001, comes with some controversy. Recently, a betting agency was confirmed as the primary sponsor of the event, which was first played at nearby Huntingdale in 1979.At the same time, the word Australian was deleted from the tournament masthead and replaced with the betting agency name, a move that didnt sit well with anti-gambling groups. It was also too much, it seems, for the website of the century-old Metropolitan club, which continues to refer to the tournament as the Australian Masters and makes no mention of the new sponsor on its site.The Australian PGA, scheduled for Dec. 11-14, will include Scott, Weekley and former champion Robert Allenby, who is the only golfer to win Australias Triple Crown in 2005.Scott was expected to have Clark, who first caddied for him two weeks ago at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, working all three Australian tournaments in the absence of Steve Williams, the veteran former caddie of Tiger Woods.Williams and Scott parted ways after the caddie said he only wanted to work a part-time schedule next year.On Wednesday, Scott suggested he might use a couple different guys after this week and kind of see where things are at and who is going to fit in best next year in a more permanent position.Scott will take a lengthy Christmas break after the Australian PGA and might not return until late January or early February. 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"He plays some pretty tough minutes, and his plus-minus has gone in the right direction playing those minutes, against the best players, starting in his own end, most defensive zone faceoffs, all those things," general manager Dave Nonis said. "And hes done that, and hes welcomed it, I think hes improved at it." Phaneuf has a long way to go before hes considered among the elite captains in franchise history, but the 28-year-old Edmonton native fits the teams current needs perfectly. No one on the Leafs plays more minutes (24:21 a game), and his four goals are the most on the blue- line. He plays more on the power play than anyone else and more on the penalty kill than anyone except for defensive centre Jay McClement. Hes not the same player the Leafs acquired from the Calgary Flames in early 2010. "I definitely feel that my game has grown with experience and playing in the league," said Phaneuf, who was understandably all smiles at his Michigan Stadium news conference on the day of Winter Classic practices. "You grow as a player, and Ive learned a lot of things over my time since Ive started, and I feel Im a better player today than I definitely was when I started and in my time in Calgary, thats for sure." Phaneuf has developed into someone Nonis considers a "pillar" the Leafs can build around. So much of what they do on the ice is built around him, and if he were to get injured there isnt a defenceman who possesses the ability to fill his skates. But Nonis insisted that wasnt the reason the Leafs ponied up and signed Phaneuf, who would have been an unrestricted free agent July 1. "We signed Dion to this deal because he deserved it," Nonis said. "Hes going to play at this level or beyond, I feel, for seven years, again, maybe beyond that. Its not that you dont have anyone to replace Dion, its that hes done enough to prove to us that he is a player that is near the top of the league in terms of how he stacks up against the top defencemen. ... "Its not that we dont have anyone to replace him. I think if thats why we were signing him, wed be making a mistake." On the ice, Phaneuf makes mistakes. He has an element to his game that Nonis acknowledged that includes taking chances to jump up in the play or lay a hit on an opponennt.dddddddddddd. Part of that is what has made Phaneuf such a polarizing player in the eyes of fans. He has shown plenty of flaws, but ultimately hes a big, minute-logging defenceman who provides a mix of offence (four goals, 11 assists) and physicality. "Dions always going to have a little bit of risk to his game, but I believe hes lowered that," Nonis said. "Hes taken less big chances, less risky pinches, he still likes the big hit but hes not running at people the way he did early on. All those things are just a function of maturity." Phaneuf has matured into not just a better defenceman but a better leader. This is his fourth season as captain. "Ive definitely grown into the role, and Ive learned a lot," Phaneuf said. "Id be lying if I sat up here and said I cant. Im very comfortable in the role." The Leafs were comfortable enough with Phaneuf in that role that they rewarded him handsomely with this deal. Phaneuf will make US$8 million in each of the first two seasons, then $7.5 million, $7 million, $6.5 million, $6.5 million and then $5.5 million in 2020-21. Nonis said hes not concerned about the length of the deal. "Dion was going to get seven years regardless. If we werent going to pay him, hes going to get it (in free agency)," Nonis said. "I think hell play beyond the term of his contract. Hes not in his 30s. Hes in his 20s. His game is rounding out and its getting better. I dont think theres any reason why he cant play the seven years and then look for another contract." Theres no guarantee Phaneuf plays the entire contract with the Leafs, given that he has only a limited no-trade clause. Nonis doesnt believe in giving players full no-movement clauses, so Phaneuf didnt get one. None of the players Toronto has signed long-term -- forwards Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, David Clarkson, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul -- have full no-trade clauses in their contracts. "The core is always going to be somewhat movable," Nonis said. "Its not locked in stone for eight years that these guys are all going to be here. We signed them because we believe theyre part of a winning team, that they can be part of something, but it doesnt mean that were locked into anybody." The Leafs arent locked into Phaneuf, but this deal represents a major commitment, even with the salary cap expected to rise above $71 million next year and continue to increase. Phaneuf locked himself in rather than test the unrestricted-free-agent market, and though he thought about that possibility, he called this an easy decision. "I really believe that were building something special," he said. "That is a very big decision, and one that Im very happy with in the way that I chose to go." ' ' '