Adam Scott admits he still needs some “beauty” in the final round after qualifying for his third Australian PGA Championship, but he won’t think too much about winning a fifth straight title.
The former world No. 1 and Masters champion briefly tied for the lead after compiling eight birdies and three bogeys with a 66 on Saturday, but finished at 11 under and entered the clubhouse in a tie for ninth place.
Minu Lee, Marc Leishman, Anthony Quayle, Spain’s David Puig and Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia occupy a crowded leaderboard, with all likely to finish equal to or better than the Scot.
Scott has 32 wins worldwide, but hasn’t won a 72-hole event since winning the Genesis Invitational in 2020.
The 45-year-old is adamant there will be more to come and on Saturday gave enough evidence to suggest a third Kirkwood Cup is within reach.
“It’s hard to complain about being 66,” he said, later adding that he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the day.
“I have to have a really good round.
“If I can put myself on a strong front nine and move my name up to the top with seven or eight to go, maybe I can.
“But I also have to tighten up. I’m chasing. I can’t stall. I’m too bunched up. Tomorrow has to be beautiful.”
Scott finished 4 under through nine holes before a two-hour delay due to rain, and birdie-birdie on the 12th and 13th holes gave him a share of the lead at 12 under.
He bogeyed the next hole and recovered one on the 15th, but he put his wedge into a bunker on the par-3 17th and narrowly missed his testing par putt.
“I’m not going out there thinking about winning…it’s about checking all the boxes and executing the things in the box better,” he said of his thought process.
“But I put myself in a decent position.”
