Australian Adam Scott rolled back the years as he fired a superb 9-under 63 to grab a three shot lead at the BMW Championship, the second event in the FedEx Cup playoffs, on Saturday.
The 44-year-old made his PGA Tour debut at Castle Pines Golf Club 24 years ago, the start of a career which has brought him 14 wins on the tour, but none in the past four years.
But the 2013 Masters winner equalled the course record with his bogey free round, catapulting himself into the lead.
“It’s been a long time. I can’t remember the last time I shot a 63 out here,” said Scott, who sits at 13-under for the tournament.
“But it feels good to go low, that I’ve still got that in me. Hopefully, there’s one more this week,” he added.
BMW CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD: Where every player stands after Round 2
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Getting into the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, not only made sure that Scott would compete this week but secured him spots in the tour’s elite Signature Events next season.
The Australian only made it into the top 50 thanks to a final round 67 at the St Jude Championship on Sunday, but with that pressure off he says is playing with freedom.
“Your mindset changes so much. Leaving the range, I just wanted to keep moving in the right direction, grind out and shoot under par and keep going that way. Then by the middle of the round I was thinking of how many birdies can I make. It’s funny how that happens,” he said.
“I feel like I really don’t have anything to lose this week. I can’t go out of the top 50. I’m going to have a good schedule in the Signature Events next year. Of course I’d love to make it to East Lake, but now I’d love to win this event,” he said.
The final event of the FedEx Cup is the Tour Championship at East Lake, near Atlanta, next week.
Scott has three strokes over Keegan Bradley, the overnight leader, who made a 4-under 68, with his first bogey of the tournament coming on the 18th.
Bradley, the USA’s Ryder Cup captain for 2025, held a one shot lead over Hideki Matsuyama after the first round but by the time he teed off it was a very different situation.
Matsuyama had withdrawn with a back injury and Scott had moved well ahead of him.
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“Adam is a world-class Hall-of-Fame type player. He went out and did what he does, and I’ll have to play really well to hang with him this weekend,” said Bradley.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg also moved into contention for the weekend, matching Scott’s 63 with a round which saw a bogey on the par-4 third and an eagle on the par-5 14th.
Aberg said that the rain at the end of Thursday’s play had allowed for more attacking approaches to the greens.
Sweden’s Alex Noren was in fourth place on 8-under after shooting a second straight round of 68.
Elsewhere, Scott also opened up on how equipment changes had helped spark his turnaround in recent weeks, specifically pointing to his iron play as a weakness that prevented him from having more success.
“It’s really my iron play has been atrocious for two years, and that’s why I’ve been moving stuff around, because I figured if I leave it the same, I’ll keep getting atrocious,’’ Scott added.
“But before the Scottish, we managed to really, like, sort my irons out, in what I’m using to shaft to grip to lofts to lie angles and club, the whole thing, complete working over, and as soon as we did that, it started feeling better.’’
Keegan Bradley is Scott’s closest competitor at this point, sitting just two shots behind the Australian with a few holes still left to play.
Meanwhile, FedEx Cup leader, world number one and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler had a tough day – making even par despite three bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 10th.
Scheffler is one-under for the tournament and 12 strokes off the lead. Xander Schauffele, the winner in this year’s PGA Championship and British Open, also had a testing round making five bogeys in his one-over 73.
Scheffler, playing the par-4 10th, sent his second shot into the water and then on his fourth from the drop zone, the ball one-hopped over the green.
Scheffler then turned to his caddie, Ted Scott, and said, “Is that not enough club? Seriously?
“How is that possible? I thought we were pin high. How? How? How is that possible?” he added, going on to record a double bogey.
Scheffler was not the only one to be overcome by frustration, with Rory McIlroy throwing his club into the water after sending his tee shot on the par-5 17th into the right rough.
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