Off day: Adam Scott misses on the 18th hole PGA play-off. Photo: Getty Images

 If it has seemed Adam Scott hasn't been quite sure if he is coming or going on the putting greens this summer, then it's worth pointing out that he is not the only high-profile "anchor man" caught in the middle ground.

The other members of the long putter brigade to win majors in close succession of each other not so long ago - South African great Ernie Els and American big names Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson - haven't exactly turned those landmark victories into the dream run of success many predicted.

Starting in late 2011, the combination of Bradley, Simpson, Els and Scott won four out of six major titles using oversized putters, culminating in the Australian's history-making win at the 2013 US Masters.

It was said at the time that the long putter was taking over the world, yet since it was announced (in May 2013) that anchored putting strokes would be banned from January, 2016, it seems the long putter poster boys have entered something of a state of flux.

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Only the players themselves know whether the spectre of the looming ban has shaken the unwavering faith a professional golfer needs in his putter in order to win at the majors.

But on the measures that matter in golf - specifically money and world rankings - the holding pattern between the ban's announcement and its implementation has proved to be a challenging period for those needing to adapt, or at least consider doing so.

For Els, Bradley and Simpson it has meant going backwards.

For Scott, at least for the time being, it has meant not going as far forward as was expected of a player with such harmonious control of every club in his bag and at the right age to explode, even accounting for the loss of retiring master caddie Steve Williams.

Prior to decision day on the long putter - May 21, 2013 - Bradley, Els and Simpson all ranked in the top 25 players in the world. Now none of them do.

Bradley, who started the long putter hysteria with his win at the 2011 PGA Championship, still ranked No.11 at the time of the ban, but has since slipped to 27^th.

Fellow US PGA star Simpson has similarly struggled since his breakthrough triumph at the 2012 US Open, but particularly since he discovered he would have to give up the secret weapon to that success - falling from 22^nd in the world to 39^th.

Els, meanwhile, has slid from 21^st to 57^th although at 45, age has to be considered a factor for the four-time major champion, his last being the 2012 British Open victory.

Nonetheless, it interesting that the three players have combined for just two wins - one each to Simpson and Els - in 131 starts since they realised they would eventually have to change their putting method.

Then there is Scott. It is easy to forget the crowd-pleasing show Scott put on for the Australian sporting public this time last year - returning with the green jacket to win the Australian PGA title in his home state, re-donning his Masters gold jacket, teaming with Jason Day on the path to a World Cup triumph, and then engaging in a thrilling final-day dual with Rory McIlroy at the Open. He played and carried himself like a true champion.

But all that only made his failure to take out one of this summer's "triple crown" events even more curious - to him as much as anyone - and especially considering he was in contention on the final days in Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

It rounded out a year where he was able to maintain his lofty status on the world rankings (slipping only marginally from No. 2 to No. 3) through his admirable consistency, but only secured one victory - despite the fact that in 12 of his 22 events, he was close enough to finish in the top 10.  

While putting statistics can often be unfairly skewed by the length of attempts left by the approach shot, there is no doubt that the long putter that held so strong on that famous Sunday at Augusta has not been there for Scott when it came time to close out this year.

It has been his lag-putting in particular that has deserted him at those crucial times when a two-putt from long range is needed to save par and keep his round going - a previously underrated aspect of his rising game.

If Scott's modest smile and wave to the crowd as he picked up each ball from the cup was the nightly news grab of last summer, then for this one, it is the image of the champion throwing his head back and clasping his hand to his mouth, pondering how each birdie putt didn't fall.  

Looking ahead, the difference between Scott and the others is that Bradley, Simpson and Els have each begun trialling a shorter putter, and Bradley seems to have been the first to make a meaningful adjustment, having rolled in 24 birdies at his last event with a new blade.

Scott, on the other hand, has so far resisted embracing the future and has understandably stayed in the present.

Given he was at one stage this year world No. 1, and was coming off a life-changing 2013, the 34-year-old was entitled to throw everything at 2014.

And even after missing four crucial putts that would have won last weekend's PGA Championship, Scott again vowed to stick with his broomstick putter.

But sooner or later change will be forced upon him.