Adam

Scott

The Aussie arrived at just 81st in the FedExCup race, 11 spots outside of the playoff bubble. Currently leading after day one, he’s projected to jump inside of the top 40 but there isn’t a lot of wiggle room should he fade over the next three days. He needs at least a two-way tie for ninth to have a chance to crack the top 70 while a two-way tie for second or better would be how he controls his own destiny. “I’ve had a lot of years having a go at the FedExCup Playoffs and all these kind of things come to an end at some point. But for sure, I mean, I want to win this tournament and if I do that, I can have a really good run right through to East Lake, I believe.” It was a hot putter that got the job done today (+3.2 SG:Putting).

The Aussie missed the cut last week but got back on track after a cross-country flight. He led the field in strokes gained off-the-tee (+2.4) while also ranking 4th in putting (+3.6). Scott ended his day with a 20'1" birdie splash, “You know, and maybe the kind of momentum I need to go out tomorrow morning and kind of keep my foot down and try and make as many birdies as I can again tomorrow.” Scott has top 10s in three of his last five starts so his game is trending well despite last week’s hiccup.

The Aussie had Steve Williams on his bag this week and the duo scraped together a top-10 finish without any sub-70 rounds. Scott has been driving it very well recently and continued that trend, ranking 4th for the week in strokes gained off-the-tee. From there, he lost 2.7 strokes on approach but saved some strokes with the flat stick (+5.8 SG:Putting). Scott has now been T15 or better after 11 of his last 16 rounds played. He’s finding his groove again and gamers should keep tagging along until he shows any signs of slowing down.

The Aussie put on a ball-striking clinic today. He gained nearly three strokes off-the-tee (2nd) and pelted 16 greens in regulation (2nd). He was sitting atop the leaderboard down the finishing stretch of his round but lost more than a stroke putting over the final three holes. A tricky lie in the greenside bunker was also to blame for his closing double bogey. Despite the sour finish, Scott is still inside of the top 10 after day one and should bring a lot of confidence to the course on Friday morning, given the way he drove the ball today.

The Aussie started a bit off the pace but seven birdies in the first 14 holes put him right at the top of the board. There were too many birdies out there at TPC Craig Ranch for his top spot to hold but it was still a strong finish and a strong week overall. “I’ll probably look back on Friday and think about what maybe could have been if I’d just been a little tidier out there in the wind. But two good weeks in a row. Going into the PGA, I’m looking forward to next week, and hopefully get a little closer.” Scott tied for the most birdies this week (26) while gaining 5.9 strokes putting (3rd).

The Aussie popped with a T5 last week at Quail Hollow Club and he kept his foot on the gas in round one. “The game was feeling really good there last week, and getting a result is always good for the confidence, too. Coming here on a course that’s going to throw a lot of birdies out there, getting in that attack mindset was key, and take advantage of the good swings.” Just prior to that he said today was “the best he’s driven it in forever” and the stats back that up, walking off the course ranked first in strokes gained off-the-tee. He’s climbed to second on the live odds board after this performance, behind only Scottie Scheffler.

The Aussie entered the week with a lot of steady play on his recent resume but nothing better than a T21 at the Sony Open this season. The big finishes haven’t been there for Scott but that changed at Quail Hollow Club this week. It was a boom-or-bust week as he piled up 22 birdies (T1) and an eagle but also swallowed 11 bogeys and a double. He walked off the course ranked 15th in strokes gained approach for the week and 9th in putting. Speaking on his ho-hum results this season, he had this to say yesterday, “I play OK every week and OK kind of sucks on the PGA TOUR, so I’m nowhere with anything.” Perhaps this T5 finish is what he needs to fill his confidence tank and potential land his way back in the winner’s circle. He has 14 PGA TOUR titles but just one since March of 2016 which came at the 2020 Genesis Invitational.

The Aussie was pretty average with his ball-striking today but leaned heavily on the short game to build his score. His ho-hum striking might be partially explained by his equipment changes. “I did some pretty major like overhauling of my equipment, actually. I think that may not be a hundred percent comfortable, but I saw some benefit from doing that. I changed some shafts in my irons and my driver and my golf ball. So I’ve kind of winging it a little bit out there.” The 2013 Masters champ has settled for finishes outside of the top 30 in his last three visits but he’s back on track for a big finish with Steve Williams by his side again.

The Aussie won in his 2005 tournament debut and added another in 2020. He also has five other top 10s in 14 total trips. “I love coming back to Riviera. It’s my favorite stop on tour every year and good feelings for me around this place, especially out on the golf course.” He will also have Steve Williams on the bag this week, as he’s utilizing a caddie share this year with Williams filling the role for the majors and other big events. Scott is starting the week around 50/1 in the outright betting markets.He’s looking for his first win since the 2020 Genesis.

The Aussie made headlines last week when he reunited with his old caddie, Steve Williams. The duo didn’t take long to get in the hunt as they held the lead after three days this week. Sunday didn’t go how they planned, scribbling three bogeys and a double bogey to let Meronk coast to the finish line. There are still plenty of positives to take away from the week as Scott and Williams work to rebuild their chemistry. Williams only plans to be on the bag for the biggest events in 2023, hoping to stay fresh while also helping Scott find his old winning form.